Pokémon ReBURST: Follow Me Down
by Mr. Grool
Summary: In the distant Sakhaloh region, Burst Warriors, humans who merge with Pokémon, reign supreme. Two young battlers, an intelligent prodigy and a teenage punk, must face the trials of their past, present and future to protect all that they hold dear. The two must work together and never look back, or risk having their lives turn to chaos.
1. Take the Money and Run

Winterspring City was as rustic as it was metropolitan. Up until sixty years ago, Winterspring was one of many small villages that dotted the countryside of the Sakhaloh region. The region was known for its cold climate, and the town was subject to only two of the four seasons, hence its namesake. This gave the denizens little reason to brave the elements and travel to other villages, let alone other regions. That all changed when a man by the name of Sugawara Harmoni, a famous Burst Warrior, found Winterspring to be the perfect place to set up his dream project: a school for young Burst Warriors to hone their craft with little to no interference from the outside world. The residents of Winterspring protested against the new project, believing that the popularity of this academy would wipe away the traditional culture that had persisted in Winterspring for so many generations. Sugawara, who was born and raised in the village, knew how dearly his friends and neighbors held onto the cultural history of Winterspring and assured them that he could successfully blend the past and present, simple and modern. And so, RéBURST Academy was born.

To a large extent, Sugawara was successful. The mixture of Sakhaloh tradition with modern publicity and technology resulted in an entirely unique city. The north and west of Winterspring were now as industrial as Jubilife in Sinnoh, while the east and southern outskirts were as rich in culture as Ecruteak in Johto. The academy had turned the small village into the second most populated location in Sakhaloh, yet looking from the outside in, the town was still encased in an antique flair that most cities fail to achieve.

At the center of the city, in the heart of the business district, this fact remained true. On a Wednesday evening, the sun set over a horizon of three-to-four story buildings. The structures had originally been single-story residential houses but had quickly been turned into a variety of shops, restaurants and public facilities. The floors above them served as low-rent apartments and living quarters for the owners of the shops below. The buildings were made of old brick and stone, a mixture of dark grey and brown, earthy colors. Many of the stores used traditional attractions to match the old-style feeling, from awnings of soft red and orange to older streetlights casting a warm glow on the sidewalk. Many of these shops had been there before the Academy was built and were simply modernized for the large new customer base.

In one such building, a bookstore, sat Kiryu Camilla. At the age of sixteen, she still looked very much like a teenager, she definitely could not pass off as an adult on looks alone. She was a bit shorter for a girl, had a slim but athletic build and lightly tanned skin. She was currently sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor of the bookstore, a hardcover fiction novel in her lap. She sat hunched and looked closely at the pages, occasionally brushing her black hair, which hung loose and uneven at her neck, away from her eyes and small nose. Coming into the store, she had picked the first book off of the shelf in the back and plopped down to read. The novel was old and used some complicated language, but Kiryu found it rather interesting. She didn't consider herself a bookworm, and her English teacher probably wouldn't have thought her to be able to read at all, given how often she shirked her required reading duties. But really, who does enjoy reading a book that was forced on you by some old bat? Not Kiryu, that's for sure. Still, with her life seeming so busy nowadays, Kiryu was happy for some time to sit in a quiet place and read. She wasn't afforded that luxury at home, and she had much more important things to be doing during and after school.

Kiryu's reading was interrupted by the owner of the shop, an old, balding man with wire-frame glasses. He peered around the bookshelves and stepped on a loose floorboard, the resulting _"creak"_ catching Kiryu's attention.

"I'm sorry, Miss," the owner said softly, "I'm just seeing who's left in the store. I'll be closing down soon," Kiryu closed the book and stood up, returning the man's small smile.

"Oh yeah, I'm almost done in here," she assured him, going down the aisle where she had picked up the book. She heard the owner head back towards the front of the store and continued to smile. She had been here before and had always found the old man to be kind and polite. He didn't even glare at her for reading for so long in a book store. Poor sap.

Her smile turned into a mischievous smirk as she slipped the book into her drawstring bag. She glanced down both sides of the aisle before taking two more books and putting them underneath her purple zip-up hoodie, pulling the zipper over her dark blue shirt and black pants. After this, she headed to the front of the shop, where the owner was opening some packages of inventory. Once again, she put on an innocent smile and called over to the geezer.

"Hey, do you have that _Murkrows and Men_ book somewhere in here?" she asked, "I need it for class."

"Oh yes, I'm sure I have it somewhere in the back. Let me look for you," the man replied cordially, walking slowly to the other end of the shop. Kiryu watched him go out of sight and quickly moved towards the counter. Opening one of the drawers under the old wooden countertop, she spotted the day's earnings and swiped it, putting it in the front pocket of her hoodie. It wasn't much, but her friends at The Alley would be pleased. Kiryu had heard that the shop owner was from a wealthy family anyways, and she needed to provide something to stay top dog in her group. So, she didn't feel too bad about abusing her victim's naïve nature for a greater cause. The books, though, they were just for her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it seems that I don't have any on the shelf," the owner said from the back when he couldn't find the book in question (Kiryu had made sure of that earlier). "Here, let me go back in storage, I know I have some in stock. It's a very popular book, you know."

"Thank you," Kiryu said politely, continuing to smirk as she stepped out from behind the counter. The old coot wouldn't know what hit him, and she'd be long gone by the time he figured it out. She made sure that all of her pilfered goods were secure and turned to walk out the door… Before walking straight into a wall.

Bunta "Ben" Uendo wasn't literally a wall, but he was built like one. Tall and Muscular, his wide shoulders seemed to block out all the light from the display windows as he glared down at Kiryu. His light brown hair stuck up stylishly, making him look even taller. He wore a red jacket and jeans and was Kiryu's least favorite person in the world.

"What the hell are you doing in my uncle's store?" he said harshly while Kiryu clumsily regained her balance from running into him. Ben wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, and Kiryu didn't expect him to figure out her shoplifting very quickly. If he kept talking as loud as he did, though, she'd attract unwanted attention and the whole thing would be ruined.

"Aren't I allowed to purchase some fine wares where I want?" she retorted, crossing her arms impatiently.

"Don't you sass me," Ben snarled, jabbing Kiryu with his finger and knocking her back a step. Ben had turned 18 that year and made sure that everyone knew it, "I'm not gonna be pushed around by some little girl in my own building."

"I'm pretty sure this place belongs to your uncle," Kiryu said innocently, shrugging, "besides, I don't see your name on it," it was juvenile, but she knew it was good enough to push Ben's buttons. Getting him riled up just made him sloppy, especially in a battle. Kiryu saw his jaw set, trying not to get too angry at such a comment, and she tried to push him further for the fun of it. "Anyways, have you been driving that new car around town?"

"No," Ben growled through gritted teeth, "Not since you and your punk-ass gang spray painted it."

"Outrageous!" Kiryu exclaimed with mock outrage, "Accusing me and my friends of such a thing, when you know very well that there are no gangs in little ole Winterspring! Isn't that right, Burst Beat," she finished slyly, and was happy to see Ben's face turn a deeper shade of red.

"Get the hell out of here," Ben spat, and Kiryu happily obliged. As funny as it would've been to see Ben break his relative's things in an attempt to punch her, Kiryu needed to get out of there before the old man came back and noticed his missing money. She dodged around Ben and quickly headed for the door.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You don't want to pick a fight you can't win, disappoint the family again," Ben clenched his fists and was about to give a witty retort, but Kiryu had already shut the door and headed out onto the street.

The business district was crowded, as per usual. People of all shapes and sizes walked up and down the downtown walkway, talking, laughing and shopping. Younger kids looked at the various displays in the shop windows while older teens headed towards restaurants and lounges to meet up with friends. Adults were leaving work and heading towards home, though most of them were out driving on the vehicle roads, outside of the downtown area. Of course, the area had its fair assortment of Pokémon as well. Groups of Pidgey flew down to look for any dropped food along the street while a Meowth ran from one alley to another when it thought no one was looking. The Shakhaloh region wasn't known for a huge array of Pokémon, but with Burst Warriors from around the world coming to town on a regular basis, the lack of variety was more than made up. On that particular evening, Marill, Togetic, Larvesta and Abomasnow were enjoying the sights alongside their trainers.

It was a breezy evening, so Kiryu's jacket served more purpose than shoplifting as she headed across the street through the crowds. She'd head to the Alley Cat hideout, drop off her earnings and try to get home before dark for once. Chao and Lin would be mad enough about her day on the town, she didn't need to give them even more reason for scolding.

Suddenly, when she was about halfway across the street, a furious roar came from the shop that she had just left. People looked at the building in fear and surprise, then began running away as an orange winged dragon smashed open the bookstore door, claws clenched in fury and fire licking from its mouth. The Charizard Burst immediately zeroed in on Kiryu, who didn't expect Ben to find the missing money so quickly. Nevertheless, she kept her cool and quickly shot a hand towards her pocket, grabbing a dark purple stone: A Burst Heart.

She took the stone and held it close to her forehead, quickly resulting in a bright flash of light. Instantaneously the teenager gained two large cat ears and a long, whip-like tail. Her left arm grew sharp claws and her right turned into a cat's paw from the elbow down. The change was immediate, and the Liepard Burst kicked off into the crowd, dodging to the right as the Charizard Burst opened its wings, glided across the street and smashed the ground where Kiryu had been standing a second earlier. Seeing his target run away, Ben gave another mighty roar and took to the sky.

Kiryu ran on all fours, weaving through the stream of people at an inhuman speed. Glancing back, she saw that her rival had spotted her and was hot on her tail. She sprinted around groups of people who barely had time to notice her racing by. She was hoping to get lost in the large downtown crowd, hoping that Ben would slow down his chase due to the large number of pedestrians. She wasn't surprised, however, when Ben opened his mouth and released a cone of fire in her direction. People gasped and rushed to the sides of the street to avoid the Fire Spin attack, leaving Kiryu singled out in the middle of the road. Instead of following the crowd to the side, she picked up the pace and ran straight ahead. She outran the attack by mere inches, feeling the heat on her tail, and continued to sprint away. Ben swooped low and followed while the crowd quickly gathered back together in the middle of the road. They shouted angry insults at Ben and complained about yet another life-threatening playground dispute between Burst Warriors.

She was faster than Ben, but Kiryu wasn't being aided by the wind, and soon Ben began catching up to the Liepard Burst. She didn't need to look back to know that Ben's sharp teeth were grinning as he got closer to his prey. She dodged left and right across the street when she could, but as long as she ran along the main road, her opponent could just follow the large pathway to stay on her track. As she approached a particularly dense crowd of people headed the opposite direction, Kiryu leapt into the center of the group and turned to the left, adjacent to a smaller alleyway between buildings. Using an unfortunate businessman as a launching pad, she slammed her back legs on him and kicked off into the passageway just as Ben flew over the group. She did a shoulder roll onto her feet and put her back to the brick wall, breathing heavily. After a couple seconds she poked her head back into the main road and was happy to see the retreating tail flame of a Charizard Burst flying away.

The adrenaline quickly wore off and she collapsed into a sitting position, laughing silently between gasps for air. Her friends would be happy to know that the leader of the Alley Cats had outwitted the leader of the Burst Beats once again. In her mind, she thanked Liepard for the help, and felt her cat's gratitude in return. Like every Burst Warrior, she had run faster and farther than any human could've done on his own. She was faster, stronger and more agile, all thanks to her Pokémon and the Burst Heart in her pocket. She and Liepard had been together for almost four years, and Kiryu knew that her Pokémon was more than happy to help her out if it meant a nice place to eat and sleep. It was a win-win situation for everybody.

Kiryu rested her eyes for a bit while she got her breath back, and then looked at the evening sky. The alley was dark, but the setting sun still cast a red glow on the street to her left. The stars were also becoming visible in the blackening sky. She checked her phone for the time: 6:15. The chase sequence had only taken a few minutes overall, though it felt like hours of stress and strain to her. Even with the setback, though, she'd still be able to drop off the money and get back home right at dark. She'd use Liepard to get from place to place faster, now that she had already Bursted with her. It was probably better to stay in Burst form, in case Ben or one of his cronies was still out on the prowl. While she thought about it, it was also better for him to have found out about the shoplifting so quickly. She wouldn't have robbed the old man if he wasn't the uncle of the Burst Beat leader. Kiryu could've gotten a lot more money somewhere else. This way, she got to see Ben's initial reaction firsthand and he wouldn't try to sneak up on her to get his vengeance. Overall, the heist was definitely worth it.

The teen spent a few more minutes resting in the alley, then stood on four legs again and did a catlike stretch. The crowds were thinning, so she decided to head to a series of backstreets that began a few blocks up to avoid detection. She darted silently back into the crowd and headed up the main road once again. Anybody who spotted Kiryu didn't pay her any mind: just another Burst Warrior with someplace super important to be.

This time she ran to an alleyway on the right side of the street. Once she was secluded behind the stone wall, Kiryu stood on two legs and slowed to a walk. After getting past some garbage cans that had been recently tipped over by some Rattata, she had a smooth trek ahead of her back to The Alley, and then home. Despite being in a secluded alleyway at night, the teenage girl wasn't afraid in the slightest. She lived half of her young adult life in these backstreets, and her partner Pokémon was once a literal alley cat. Kiryu hummed softly to herself and strode down the passageways, turning each new corner with little concern. When there actually was something around the bend, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

Lying on the cold, hard ground was a heavily bruised teen in dirty, scuffed-up jeans and a torn red jacket. Ben Uendo moaned softly in pain, seemingly oblivious to his arch rival having stumbled upon him in such a disheveled condition. Lying next to him was his orange Charizard Burst Heart. Kiryu was frozen in shock, unable to comprehend that someone was able to put the smack-down on her main opponent this badly and then left him in some alleyway. Several questions raced through the girl's mind, but luckily for her, she was about to get an answer.

From out of the shadows stepped a cold-looking man. Black hair fell to the top of his shoulders and in bangs across his face. He had brown eyes, a long nose and wore a black long sleeve shirt with brown pants and white gloves. Overtop was a white long coat and furry grey scarf. His face, while not cruel, betrayed nothing but a stern glare. Kiryu had been staring at Ben when the man made his appearance, so she didn't fully comprehend the new face until he spoke.

"Was this man chasing you?" he asked flatly, pointing at the fallen Burst Warrior with one hand. Kiryu jumped once again at the voice, quickly looking the new arrival up and down several times. He looked young and relatively well-groomed, but his overall cold aura was not helping Kiryu's first impression of him. She noticed a white and purple Burst Heart in his other hand. The man waited patiently for Kiryu to assess him before she answered.

"Y-yes," she said cautiously, and the man nodded immediately.

"I thought so. I saw him terrorizing the people downtown and decided to put a stop to it. Apparently, he saw you head into these alleyways and was bragging to himself about some ridiculous ambush scenario," the man seemed completely oblivious to Kiryu's shocked composure, which was now quickly turning to one of suspicion and caution.

"Hold on a minute," Kiryu spoke up right after the man finished his explanation, "that… Doesn't explain how he ended up like this!" she motioned towards the injured Burst Warrior in front of him. The man didn't even look at Ben before answering.

"Well, I beat him in a Burst Battle, obviously," he raised his eyebrows and put stress on that last word, as if talking to an uncomprehending child. He succeeded in replacing Kiryu's caution with indignation. Who the hell was he to talk down to her after meeting her in some alley like Jack the Ripper?! And the way he treated the feat of taking Ben Uendo down like some simple, everyday task! Very quickly, Kiryu came to three conclusions about this man. He was probably a pervert, most likely a liar and, at the very least, definitely a creep.

Still, his description of Ben and his scheming was spot-on. If he was, in fact, telling the truth, he very well could've saved Kiryu a blow to the head and a loss in all of her possessions, both stolen and owned.

Throughout Kiryu's thought process, the man stood there very still, eventually crossing his arms and looking expectantly at Kiryu for a response. So far, he was acting as if Kiryu was the one appearing in dark alleyways and presenting unconscious Burst Warriors like it was nothing. What did he want, a pat on the back?

"Uh, yeah, thanks," Kiryu said awkwardly. "Thanks for taking care of him for me, Mister…"

"Takumi," the man said rather pridefully, "My name is Takumi Chikao Genji," The name triggered some random fact or memory in Kiryu's brain, but she didn't pay it any mind. She had never seen the man before in her life and Takumi was a common name. "I've never been able to stand Burst Warriors who abuse their gift on petty conflicts, so I took matters into capable hands," his boastful acknowledgement of Kiryu's halfhearted gratitude didn't do Takumi any favors in the teen's eyes. She saw no reason to continue this strange encounter.

"Yeah, that's cool," she said nonchalantly, taking one last look at the barely-conscious Ben on the ground before turning to head down a separate backstreet, "I'll see you around, I guess."

"Hold on just a minute," the sharpness in Takumi's tone made Kiryu look back despite herself, and she saw those cold, stern eyes directed right at her. "This Warrior also informed me as to why he was chasing you. You have stolen some money from his uncle and you will give it back immediately."

"Wait, he said…" Kiryu took a second to process the accusations leveled on her, "Well… Excuse _you,_ " she reflexively snapped at him, making sure her voice sounded nice and indignant, "but how the hell do you know that he's telling the truth?! I would never even dream of stealing, but you come up to me like some stalker in the night and accuse me of some random crime?"

"If you don't have the money, then you'd turn out your pockets without hesitation," Takumi's voice finally betrayed an emotion: irritation. He had hit the nail on the head, though.

"I… Look, times are rough, sometimes you have to do what's necessary to survive," Kiryu started, but the man curtly cut her off.

"I just told you that I do not tolerate Burst Warriors who abuse their powers on petty crime," he had his eyes closed, but then opened them and glared directly at Kiryu, "and I assure you, miss, that I would have never approached someone as weak and immature as yourself if I didn't have a reason to," Kiryu's eyes widened and face turned red. "You will turn over the money to me now." What was _with_ this guy?

"I… You…" the teen stuttered, the clearly insulted tone in her voice now genuine.

"Stop wasting my time," Takumi took a step towards her, clearly annoyed. In her mind, Kiryu forced herself to calm down. This was the exact same tactic that she had used earlier on Ben. As rude and strange as this guy was, he wasn't going to get under her skin. Takumi watched as the girl took a breath and calmed down. She had an idea, one that would get the rest of her questions answered and allow her to get back at this guy for his pompous attitude.

"Alright, you caught me. I took the money," Kiryu put on a sly smile and held up a finger as Takumi stepped forward, "and I intend on keeping it. I'll cut you a deal, though. If you're going to insult me to my face, you better put your money where your mouth is. Beat me in a Burst Battle, and I'll fork over my own," This guy looked like the chivalrous type, Kiryu reasoned. Now she'd be able to see exactly how this guy took down Ben while kicking his ass for calling her out on her mischief. Takumi stood still but responded immediately.

"I'm not surprised that it's come to this," he sighed. The man's body language betrayed him, however, as he almost immediately seemed to liven up at the prospect of a Burst Battle. His eyes became much more alert and concentrated as he sized up his opponent, and he began to back up in the alley to give the two Burst Warriors space to begin. "I will make this swift and decisive, weakling. I accept your challenge."

The two moved away so that there wasn't a big lump of Ben between them and found themselves deeper in the narrow alleyway. Only a few feet wide, the backstreet was lit only by moonlight as the sun was nothing but a thin red line over the horizon. Takumi carefully placed his first Burst Heart under his coat and took out a second. Kiryu could barely see a greenish shade on her opponent's stone. As for herself, the teen stayed in her Liepard form, intending to use her agility and acrobatic skills to bounce along the alley walls and take out her opponent rather quickly. Feeling the tension of the moment, she bounced on the balls of her feet as Takumi prepared himself. A small part of her brain wasn't quite so eager to get into a fight. After all, this is the guy who apparently took down Ben Uendo. Kiryu swiftly pushed her hesitations away. She was stronger than Ben anyways, and this guy was not going to call her a waste of time and get away with it. Takumi looked briefly at his new Burst Heart and the alley filled with a bright flash of light. The battle was on.

Kiryu immediately sprinted at her opponent, hoping to catch him before he could fully react after Bursting. Once she was a few feet away from Takumi, Kiryu jumped and kicked off the wall, going into the air and overtop of her opponent. She quickly brought her claws down to attack in midair, only to find that Takumi had already dodged past her. When she landed, she faced Takumi's front rather than his exposed back.

Her opponent had chosen a Roserade, as Takumi now sported two bouquets of flowers from his sleeves, petal-like hair, a cape and a small mask over his eyes. Once Kiryu had landed he lunged at her, a thorny vine shooting from one bouquet in a Poison Sting attack. Kiryu barely sidestepped it and moved in with Fury Swipes, pouncing on Takumi with elongated claws. The Roserade Burst was able to avoid getting bowled over and blocked each swipe with his arms, minimizing the damage. Kiryu kept up the pressure by continuing to force him back with Pursuit, and with his arms preoccupied, Takumi had little melee options to counter with. Her claws raked Takumi's arms, making petals fall and leaving gashes, but the man held his ground, making sure to block every strike. Finally, seeing a brief pause in his opponent's onslaught, Takumi raised his blue bouquet and blasted Kiryu with Stun Spore. The Liepard Burst easily dodged his attack, but was forced to step away, losing her momentum.

She already had him on the rocks, Kiryu assessed as she stepped away from her opponent. She had dealt a large amount of damage and forced Takumi onto the defensive, exactly as planned. The teen planned on getting a Hone Claws off, then to jump back into the battle finish the job. The unprepared combatant didn't see the Magical Leaf attack hit her before it was too late. Kiryu had assumed that Takumi would have to catch his breath after fighting so desperately, but the man was already back on the offensive in the split second that Kiryu had paused. She was knocked back by the flurry of colored leaves and was soon struck by two Poison Sting hits from the Roserade Burst's vines. Kiryu had no way to retaliate and had to close the distance quickly.

The Liepard Burst sprang forward yet again, trying to pounce on Takumi with claws outstretched. The man effortlessly ducked under Kiryu, causing her to go sailing over her target back her original spot in the alley. Takumi wasn't quite in the clear, however. He stood up, only to be whipped in the face by Kiryu's tail from an Assurance attack.

Kiryu landed gracefully from her jump and turned around, but quickly found herself assaulted by several Poison Sting attacks at once. How was he shrugging off these attacks?! Kiryu was forced to dodge the rapid stabs from the vines, which fired from Takumi's Bouquet like projectiles. Dodging the vines quickly proved difficult with the narrowness of the alleyway, and finally Kiryu felt the sting of a direct hit. To her dismay, the vine proceeded to wrap around her waist, holding her in place. Not good.

Upon trying to swipe at the vine, Kiryu felt Takumi yank her back, taking her breath away and causing her strike to miss. She looked up to glare at her opponent, only to see the man finally smiling; or rather giving a cocky smirk. A light green energy glowed around the vine, and Kiryu felt her energy get sapped from the Mega Drain. The Liepard Burst, still on two feet, began rushing from left to right, trying to find slack in the vine, but Takumi merely mirrored her movement, keeping the organic snare taught. She'd run towards the right wall, and Takumi would lean to his left, making sure that there was no slack and keeping the Liepard Burst from doing any fancy maneuvers. To top it all off, Kiryu's vision began to go blurry, and the teen realized that one of the Poison Sting attacks had given her the titular condition. Her increasingly woozy behavior was not lost on Takumi, whose triumphant smirk grew slightly bigger.

"Time to end this," he said simply. Kiryu only had a second to look at him with confusion when purple energy, almost like violet electricity, travelled down the vine and mercilessly zapped Kiryu. The Liepard Burst cried out in pain, feeling like she was hit by a lightning bolt while being dumped in acid, before the Venoshock finally ended, leaving her kneeling on the ground, head bowed forward. For a second, neither Burst Warrior moved a muscle.

"It was just a matter of getting you poisoned," Takumi finally said in his monotone voice, though Kiryu caught a hint of triumph in explaining his strategy. "I knew I needed to maintain a safe distance after your first attack. I couldn't subdue you with Stun Spore, but I always make sure to have a backup plan," Takumi's voice was just background noise for Kiryu, who was trying to think clearly with electric sparks going off in her vision and her brain getting clouded with poison. "This battle is over," Takumi said matter-of-factly, though when he didn't get a response from his opponent, he kept his vine wrapped around her waist. The battle was not over, not for Kiryu, but she had to find a way to get out of this situation. If she tried running about the alley, the Roserade Burst reeled her back in like a fisherman. Her next move had to throw him off-guard, or else he'd finish her with another Venoshock. The teen shook her head forcefully, trying to stop her vision from clouding, when she finally got an idea. There was only one direction left to go that Takumi couldn't control: forwards.

Takumi had started to cautiously step forward to check on her when Kiryu sank her claws into his vine and leapt straight at him. She could barely see where she was going, but Kiryu sprinted at full speed, claws glowing black with a Night Slash attack. Takumi hastily attempted to dis-attach himself from his opponent, but he was too late. Kiryu slammed into the Roserade Burst and slashed him multiple times with Night Slash, raking her claws across his body and finally knocking Takumi off of his feet. With no time to lose, Kiryu went to pounce on Takumi once more with a final Night Slash.

The man raised his arms forward, Kiryu thought to defend himself, when a series of glowing Magical Leaves puffed out of his bouquet- and rushed into Kiryu as a group, straight into her stomach and forcing her to the ground for a final time. The teen struggled to stand up again, but felt one final strike from the poison, like a sword stabbing through her, and she went limp, unbursting back into normal form.

She was a literal arm's reach from victory; she was sure that one more Night Slash would've done it. Yet the victor now stood over her looking as stern as ever. Takumi had unbursted and seemed completely unaware of the slash marks across him, causing Kiryu to question how close to victory she really was. She had known that the man was tough, he had defeated her arch rival with little effort, yet she couldn't avoid the feeling of shame that was now taking the place of the fading poison in her brain.

Kiryu's coat pocket had ripped from the last attack, causing money to scatter around the alley. Takumi casually collected it while Kiryu wallowed in self-pity. She had let down her friends, let down her mother, let down her Liepard and let down herself. Once the money was collected, Takumi put it in his pockets and continued the way Kiryu had come, out of the alley.

"I trust that you can get yourself home. Don't waste my time again," the man told her as he walked away without a parting glance. Kiryu was alone in the city. She stared at the sky, now lit by the moon and stars. The girl was lying in a dark, dirty alleyway, filthy and injured. Yet she still lay on the ground long after her opponent's footsteps had faded, watching the sky, listening to the city and thinking about the events of the day. Thinking about her heist, thinking about the fight and thinking about Takumi. In the end, now that her head had completely cleared of poison, Kiryu felt that she was able to sum up the day in one short, sweet sentence: This Takumi guy was now her least favorite person in the world.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **On March 6th, 2013, I joined a forum on this very website known as _Pokeplayers: A Roleplay Forum_. Over the course of five years the forum grew to be the fourth-largest on the website and sits on the front page of the Pok** **émon forum list. Though it's abandoned now, that place will always live on in my memory as an incredible forum full of incredible people, many of which I am still friends with today. I wouldn't give up my wasted time on there for anything.**

 **Of the many roleplay threads on that forum, the greatest one, the magnum opus of Pokeplayers (and I know that many of my friends from the forum will argue with this) was the** **RéBURST roleplay. Containing both cringe and meme potential in equal amounts, the story told in that thread was the product of angsty teens having fun and I never get tired of reading it. Behind all of the plot holes, horrible characters and terrible dialogue was a story worth telling, and I have finally decided to tell that story as my love letter to Pokeplayers and all of the people on it.  
**

 **Even though author's notes have become infamous on this site, I've always enjoyed the "Coli Chibi" approach to them, wherein the author gives interesting facts about the fanfiction and the media that it's inspired from. This approach is the perfect opportunity to talk about the original** ** **RéBURST roleplay and give any readers who are unfamiliar with the original story an idea of how unintentionally funny and strange it was. There will also be some _major_ changes to the plot and characters, so these author's notes will be useful in covering the original story that inspired me to write this.  
****

 ** **So to any new readers, welcome! To any old readers, Mr. Grool is back, for better or for worse, taking some steps out of his comfort zone. To any original Pokeplayers who read or were in the original roleplay, get ready for a wild ride. I will try my best to do such a masterpiece justice. Enjoy.****

 ** ** ** **Special thanks goes to Jack Storm 448 for beta reading this chapter.********


	2. Teacher

To accommodate a large influx of tourists and visitors, Winterspring was turned into a commercial hub. Native villagers were slowly pushed out of the town-turned-city and needed a new place to live. Mr. Harmoni took a very modern approach and added a southern suburban extension. Much like the rest of the city, a combination of old and new took place at the south end. Modern, similar-looking housing was built right next to ancestral homes that had stood in Winterspring for generations while dirt roads were quickly paved over and connected to the main city. As the years passed, old houses were demolished or remade, meaning that the old was slowly but surely phased out with the new. The south end now looked just like any other modern region, though still with a bit of rustic flair that pervaded the entire metropolis.

It was this suburb that Kiryu trekked through at 11:00 at night. With no money to drop off at The Alley, she had no reason to keep prowling about the city and began to make her way home. This proved to be a long process, since she could barely go faster than a limp due to the injuries that she had sustained. These were the same injuries that she tried to put in the back of her head, along with the rest of the battle, so she concentrated on where she was going, putting one foot in front of the other. Luckily, Winterspring was a relatively safe city, save for the Burst Beats and Alley Cats, so Kiryu had no further encounters with any ill-intentioned people.

Kiryu's house was only two stories tall, but it felt much too big for the three people living there. It stood inconspicuously between similar-looking buildings and had a small front yard that was sometimes trimmed by a brother with nothing better to do. Kiryu quietly opened a side door that led into the kitchen. Inside, a dim bulb cast a fluorescent light on the counter and cupboards. As soon as Kiryu turned to lock the door, the main lights came on to reveal a tall, young woman with a nurse's jacket and square glasses, her neck-length black hair tied in a small side-braid. Kiryu cursed under her breath and turned around.

"I thought you were working late tonight," she mumbled, not looking her sister in the eye.

"I just got off," Lin explained. She had her arms folded and shot Kiryu a tired, exasperated look. As usual. "It's well past your curfew. Care to explain yourself?"

"Maybe this will give you a clue," Kiryu answered simply, stepping into the light and holding up her arms to show the torn clothes and cuts, side-effects of being punched by thorny fists and flying leaves. It didn't have quite the desired effect.

"Oh, dammit, Kiryu!" Lin's eyes widened and she ran over to her sister, though her tone did not lose its harshness, "What the hell were you doing out there?"

"I just had a… bit of a disagreement," Kiryu dodged, letting Lin look her over while she peered around the house. A bowl of soup at the counter where Lin had been eating, pre-made by their brother, Chao, for when she got home. The living room connected directly to the kitchen, allowing Kiryu to see a documentary about legendary Pokémon playing on the TV and the couch where Chao had been sleeping. The young man, a thin frame of skin and bones with scraggly black hair, was now awake and entering the kitchen as well. He grimaced at Kiryu's injuries.

"Geez, are you alright?" Chao asked, showing a bit more concern than their sister, "Did you get jumped on, again?"

"Something like that," Kiryu admitted, "I was in a Burst battle, came off the wrong end of a Roserade. I think my ankle's sprained as well," she informed Lin, who was crouched next to her sister, ready to finish her diagnosis. At this new information, the woman stood and glared at her sister.

"You were fighting out on the street, again, weren't you?" She accused, "How many times have I told you to cut it out with the street violence?"

"Gimme a break," Kiryu retorted, in no mood to be scolded for the second time in a few hours.

"Where have you been all evening?" Chao questioned, now fully awake and joining in on the attack.

"She's been hanging out with that stupid gang of hers, I bet," Lin said, still glaring directly at Kiryu. She had always assumed that Chao and Lin's tendency to gang up on her stemmed from the eight and six year difference between them and her, but recently Kiryu was getting sick of it.

"It's not a gang," she retorted, "We just hang out around the city."

"You and those drop-outs prowl around alleyways, spray graffiti and get up to god-knows-what," Lin indicted, folding her arms again and looking down on her sister.

"It's not my fault you don't know what friends do together," Kiryu quipped. Lin's eyes narrowed and her face turned slightly red, much to Kiryu's satisfaction. The older sister seemed to fade back into the cupboards, allowing Kiryu some space to go to a cabinet and search for some food. The family lapsed into silence, Lin glaring at the floor, Chao standing awkwardly and Kiryu going about her business, not making eye contact.

"How was class today?" Chao asked tiredly, breaking the silence.

"Uh, fine," Kiryu said a bit too quickly, and both siblings caught onto the act.

"You did go to class today, right?" Chao looked pointedly at Kiryu, who turned and tried to give another innocent look.

"Yeah… Of course I did," Upon seeing both Lin and Chao's eyes boring into her, she couldn't help but look down at her shoes. Lin sighed heavily and turned to clean up the dishes on the counter, shaking her head disappointedly. Chao tried to keep a neutral face, but his voice sounded more tired than before.

"You skipped school again, loitered around town, got in some kind of gang war and came back over an hour after your curfew?"

"It wasn't a gang war!" Kiryu exclaimed, holding her arms out in innocence. "What the hell do you want from me?!" At this, Lin slammed down the cutlery she was holding and turned back towards Kiryu, leaning down and so that the two were face-to-face.

"We _want_ you to start respecting our rules around here," she growled as Kiryu stumbled back from the sudden movement. "Tomorrow you will go to school on time and get home before dark. You'll stop hanging out with those delinquents and getting into trouble. Understand?" Kiryu didn't say anything, instead looking to Chao in distress, only to see him also waiting for a response. After a couple seconds, Lin stood straight and shook her head once more. "I swear, if Mom saw all of this-"

Kiryu's blood ran cold. She hastily moved out of the kitchen, pushing a surprised Lin out of the way in the process. She stomped up the steps towards her room while her siblings followed her to the base of the steps.

"Wait, Kiryu, your injuries…!" Chao called up to his sister's retreating cold shoulder.

"Audino'll look at them in the morning," the younger sibling said emotionlessly, not looking back as she continued to the second floor. She walked to her room at the end of the hallway and slammed the door shut. Downstairs, she faintly heard Chao and Lin slowly walking back to the kitchen.

Once she was alone in the room, Kiryu nearly collapsed to the floor and leaned on her double bed, silently waiting for the pain in her ankle to go away. Another night, another chewing-out from her brother and sister, Kiryu thought. What particularly annoyed her this time was her sibling's insistence that Kiryu was in some kind of mob shootout. She had wanted to shout back at Lin that she had actually run away from a fight with the Burst Beats, but then she'd have to say why they were after her. Not that the two of them would believe her, anyways. In retrospect, maybe she should've kicked Ben's ass right there in the street. Then he wouldn't have gone after her, causing them both to run into Takumi. Who gave them both an ass-kicking instead.

Kiryu shook her head slightly, trying to force back the memories of her earlier battle and looked around the room for some kind of distraction. The place was looking a bit outdated since Kiryu had been spending more time out on the town. The carpet and walls were different shades of her favorite color, purple, making the room look darker than the rest of the house. A small _Infini_ _Corp_ Television, discounted from Chao's day job, stood on top of a small, one-drawer chest. Among the other furnishings was a small bookshelf with paperback novels and a desk for schoolwork, gathering dust as usual. Curtains covered a window on the far wall that looked out into the tiny backyard. On the other side of the bed stood an electronic keyboard from when Kiryu had taken piano lessons. Nowadays, the girl could barely remember the notes, though she knew several songs by heart. Posters of bands that Kiryu didn't listen to anymore hung up on the walls, and a framed picture of the whole family, Kiryu, Chao Lin and their mother, smiling together, sat on her nightstand.

Kiryu stared at the ceiling, leaning her head back on the bed when her view of the ceiling fan was obstructed by two glowing white eyes. Kiryu couldn't help but smile.

"Can I help you?" the teen asked mock-politely, standing up in front of the Espeon on the bed. "Do you have something to tell me?" The purple cat swished its two-pronged tail and proceeded to examine Kiryu's injuries with unblinking eyes. "Oh yeah, that's nothing to worry about," her trainer explained, "Got in a Burst Battle, nothing that you couldn't have handled. I lost, but I'm over it, really," the feline proceeded to stare intently at Kiryu, who looked away guiltily. Espeon always was a smart one, even for a psychic type, and never seemed to miss a thing. The dark-haired girl climbed onto the bed and scratched her Pokémon behind the ears. Espeon sat down next to her, purring in contentment.

Espeon really could've handled it, Kiryu's mind inevitably wandered back towards the Burst Battle. Takumi wouldn't have stood a chance against a Confusion or Psychic, that was for sure. Being Kiryu's first Pokémon, though, meant that Espeon was getting older, so Kiryu rarely took her out on her excursions. One thought lead to another, and soon Kiryu was replaying the entire battle in her head, trying to think of how she could've turned it around. Her thought process returned to Takumi's insults, calling her weak and a waste of time. The bastard probably just said it to everyone to get under their skin. Despite this consolation, despite the familiar sights of the room and Espeon's purring, Kiryu's angst remained.

Her frustrations about the battle mixed with those from the fight with her siblings. Chao and Lin write off her friends as street thugs and insult her every day, yet they demand the same respect as Mom? Screw them and the ground they walk on, Kiryu thought. She wasn't going to go kissing it.

Kiryu laid on the bed and pondered these thoughts until, finally, the stress of the day caught up to her and she felt the sweet allure of sleep. The teen gratefully closed her eyes, and after a day of running, fighting, arguing and bemoaning, she fell into unconsciousness almost instantly, gladly putting the end to a decisively terrible day.

* * *

She was awoken by a harsh pounding on her door. The teen groggily rolled over and looked at her alarm clock. Seven o'clock, just in time to get ready for school. As much as she hated bowing to Lin's demands, Kiryu definitely did not feel like walking the city, least of all because she felt like the victim of an acupuncture-based homicide. Chao had the day off, so she couldn't just stay in bed, either.

With no other options, Kiryu slowly got up, showered, changed out of the torn and dirty clothes from the day before and made a visit to Lin's Audino. Much more tolerant of Kiryu than her trainer, the hearing Pokémon gladly took a look at Kiryu and Liepard, who had recovered enough to come out of the Burst Heart. Thankfully, Kiryu did not sprain her ankle, only twisted it, but it still ached like hell. Audino helped to bandage Kiryu's other cuts and bruises until the teen was ready to face the new day.

"Hey, I made breakfast," Chao offered as Kiryu came down the steps, holding out a pan of scrambled eggs and weakly smiling. His sister proceeded to walk out of the house without a word, slamming the door behind her. Chao stood in the kitchen for a few seconds, staring at the door before going over to the trash can and dropping the eggs in.

* * *

Kiryu's previous excursions took place in the business district and suburbs of Winterspring, where the RéBURST Academy only had a tangential connection to the modernization of the town. The north side of the city, surrounding the actual academy, was a completely different story. The landscape that sprawled out from the actual academy building was the standard definition of a "college town." Multi-story buildings advertised book depositories and tenant housing. Entire blocks were dedicated to pubs for the older students or restaurants of all different kinds of cuisine. These eateries and shops ranged from giant restaurant chains from Kanto to one-room mom and pop diners that had been in Winterspring for decades. While downtown managed to retain its traditional flair, the north side of Winterspring was 100% modern, and tendrils of this growth was slowly spreading throughout the city.

Kiryu made her way to the academy through this district surrounded by fellow teens and young adults, many of them with their Pokémon. Native Mightyena, Seel, Flaafy, Shuppet and one large Aggron were mixed with foreign Pokémon, Xatu, Mothim and Frillish, all of them following their trainers towards the school, the west docks or some other destination. This was added to the daily Pidgey Patrol, searching for food from the sky and the man selling stray Mincinnos near the Academy gate. All in all, a normal day in Winterspring Village.

The urban sprawl abruptly ended at the RéBURST Academy gate. Beyond the large ornamental fence was a huge campus green, punctuated by rows of bushes and flowers. The natural beauty of the campus, carefully maintained by a huge staff of gardeners and workers, was an interesting contrast to the modern, multi-story buildings that stood tall across the grounds. These were mostly office buildings or special-use facilities. The main academy sat at the top of a hill, a huge, three-story structure that housed hundreds of young Burst Warriors. Despite its reputation as one of the few Burst Warrior Academies in the world, the brick building was rather modest in its construction, save for its size. At the top of the campus where the Academy stood, one could see few buildings behind it as the city abruptly cut off into a large forest. The Academy upon a hill served as the northernmost point of Winterspring.

The main doors led to a large lobby that extended into a long hallway, which, in turn, branched in a maze-like pattern throughout the school. To the left of the hallway was a small reception room for visitors and non-students to check in. Large glass windows were built into the wall, giving Kiryu a clear view of the room as she entered the building. Through the glass she could make out a familiar face. A face that tried to blast her with scorching fire the day before. Kiryu quickly strode over to the windows and listened into the room.

Ben and two of his cronies, Hideji and Shu, had their backs turned to the window, allowing Kiryu to listen without being spotted. The three stood widely in front of the receptionist desk, apparently talking to the secretary, a young woman named Suki Harmoni. With light skin, a curvy body and very large… Eyes… Suki often attracted the attention, wanted or otherwise, of the older students (and even some of the younger ones). Spotting Suki's face between the human wall, Kiryu didn't take long to guess that the above scenario was being played out at that very moment. In this case, Kiryu was glad not to share the poor woman's good looks.

The teen couldn't make out the exact details of the conversation through the glass, but it abruptly ended when Suki stood up behind her desk and pointed the boys to the door, hand shaking angrily. Kiryu quickly moved away from the glass and turned around, keeping her head down as the boys left the room. Ben and company were too busy laughing about something to notice Kiryu, who turned back around and went into the reception area herself.

"What was that all about? Did Ben ask you on a romantic night out?" she joked, smirking at the secretary. Suki jumped at the new arrival, dropping some papers.

"N-none of your business!" Suki snapped at Kiryu, whose smile disappeared quickly.

"Woah, sorry," Kiryu hadn't expected the cold reception. She barely knew Suki outside of her receptionist job but she usually didn't act so hostile, "I gotta say, though, I didn't know your voice rose above five decibels."

"Why aren't you in class?" the secretary snapped in response.

"I just got here, I thought I'd check in," Kiryu explained, holding up her hands for Suki to back off.

"Well you'll be late, so get out of here and go to class," Suki huffed, folding her arms and swiveling to her computer monitor.

"Fine, geez, just calm down, woman," Kiryu rolled her eyes and turned to leave, letting the door slam behind her. The secretary only brushed her waist-length ponytail behind her back, ignoring Kiryu's exit. The teen wondered what the hell Ben could've said that got timid Suki all worked up, so she raced down the hallway and caught up with the brick wall and his two friends. She snuck up behind them and pushed her way between Hideji and Ben, poking her head between their shoulders.

"I guess your big date with Suki isn't gonna happen, eh?" Kiryu taunted her rival, who flinched and turned to glare at her. Kiryu was pleased to see a poorly-concealed bruise on his forehead. "What, were you going to go on a romantic dinner? Take her to your mom's house afterwards?"

"Piss off, bitch," Ben growled, "I have better things to do than talk to you," he tried to elbow Kiryu in the face, but she quickly stepped back out of the way and continued to follow the three delinquents.

"Going out with Suki ain't one of those things," she smirked, and could already feel the heat of Ben's anger. "I'm surprised you didn't just try and show off all your money, probably would've worked better than using your actual personality," she knew that Ben wanted to punch her in the face, but he could do no such thing at the Academy.

"Get lost," Hideji spoke up, "Don't you Cats have some dumpster to scavenge for trash?"

"It's a better pastime than holding gang meetings in your uncle's basement," Kiryu shot back.

"Speaking of alleys, I heard that you got knocked down on the cold, hard ground by a Roserade," Hideji said, causing Ben and Shu to snicker. Despite the stab in the stomach from hearing about the battle again, Kiryu was ready with a retort.

"I'm surprised that Ben knew about that, considering he was unconscious for the entire thing."

"That jackass ambushed me," Ben quickly defended himself, glaring at Kiryu. "Snuck up and caught me off-guard. But you got beaten by him fair and square, wasn't even close," his two companions guffawed, but Kiryu pressed forward.

"Sure, I got knocked around a bit, but I wasn't catching up on beauty sleep afterwards. I still can't believe that Ben, here, was able to crawl back home. In fact, I was hoping that some homeless guy shanked you and left you there, honestly," The embarrassment that persisted ever since that battle was numbed now that misery enjoyed company.

"Just get out of my sight," Ben stomped down the hallway while Hideji turned around and pushed Kiryu roughly down a separate one. She regained her balance and watched them walk away, wanting nothing more than to give Ben a swift kick in the back of his head, Liepard Burst or no.

* * *

 _"…As such, the combined logic and reasoning of a human, combined with the strength and animal instinct of the Pokémon has formed the generally accepted scientific theory that Burst Warriors are much more powerful and capable than a single wild or trained Pokémon,"_ Kiryu had more important things to do than listen to the professor drone on about useless information. Instead, she sat in the back of the classroom with a couple of friends. They were currently holding an impromptu business meeting, Kiryu representing the Alley Cats. What was this meeting about?

"You're inviting THAT many people?!" Kazurō, a "business associate," whispered incredulously to an annoyed Kiryu. "Look, I'm not so sure about this, if my gran finds out-"

"Oh, come on," Kiryu interrupted, "you know that she never will. You told me that she wouldn't be back until spring, I'm pretty sure we can clean the place up before then."

"I don't know about this," the teen pouted. Kiryu tried not to roll her eyes.

"Don't wimp out on me," she told the reluctant boy forcefully, "You're one of the only rich kids that doesn't try to hang out with the Burst Beatniks like an idiot. We need a nice place for this party, and you've got it covered."

"You know, maybe he's right," the desk on Kiryu's opposite side spoke up, and she immediately dropped the conversation with Kazurō and turned to Ivy, who was occupying the other desk. The brown-haired girl was Kiryu's childhood friend. They had been inseparable for years. The two were a lot alike, though Kiryu recently found that Ivy was more of a stick in the Muk, "You really are inviting a lot of people."

"Well you're obviously not going to get the full experience otherwise, duh," Kiryu stated matter-of-factly, shaking her head.

 _"Some dissenters have argued this hypothesis by citing the Burst Warrior's inability to Burst more than once in a short period of time as well as the Pokémon Trainer's ability to command several Pokémon in battle at once,"_ the professor continued to speak, unaware of the conversation in the back.

When her friend didn't seem persuaded, Kiryu put on a sly grin and began nudging Ivy's arm with her elbow, "Look, I know that you're hesitant, but it'll be great. You're finally gonna get to go to a party, dance to the music, drink a few drinks, meet a nice guy, go home with him-"

"Can't we just do something else that weekend?" Ivy abruptly ended Kiryu's sequence of events, "We can go to my house and have a sleepover, just like old times."

"Do you want to paint each other's nails and have a pillow fight while we're at it?" Kiryu teased, causing her friend to scowl. "You need to grow up, girl."

"You know, you only started saying that after you started spending all your time with your gang," Ivy pointed out, and she wasn't wrong. Though Kiryu wasn't unhappy with this change in the slightest. She tried to return the conversation back to the task at hand.

"Trust me, you'll have a great time," Kiryu gave her friend one of her rare, genuine smiles. Ivy couldn't help but give a weak smile back.

"…Wait, so are we having this party or not?" Kazurō hesitantly called over to the two.

 _"Yet this theory is proven false when we take into account the examples of powerful Burst Warriors being able to Burst multiple times as well as command other Pokémon while in the midst of a battle,"_ the professor finally heard the three students in the back and stopped his lecture. "Miss Camilla, Miss Thrawn, would you prefer flunking out of school?" Kiryu rose for a witty retort but was beaten by Ivy.

"If it gets me out of political science faster, heck yeah," several people in the class snickered. The professor frowned and opened his mouth to respond but the two were saved by the bell in the nick of time. Kiryu and Ivy rose to leave with the rest of the class, low-fiving each other on the way out.

* * *

"It was that bad, huh?" Ivy responded to Kiryu's retelling of the previous nights' domestic troubles. "I never remembered Lin as being so… Bossy."

They had left the classroom and were headed for Physical Education (a must-have for aspiring Burst Warriors) at the gymnasium on the other side of the school. The hallways were quite crowded with teens and young adults heading from class to class, talking loudly, pushing and shoving each other. The two girls made their way through the throng in a small group headed in the same direction.

"Yeah, well a dead-end job will do that to you," Kiryu pointed out. The group was now at the gym doors and was forming a line in the hallway.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Ivy said thoughtfully, "It must've been hard to drop out of medical school like that. I suppose that being a bit more understanding couldn't hurt, hm?" When she didn't receive a response, Ivy turned to see that Kiryu had stopped walking. "…Kiryu?"

The teen had craned her neck to see why the gym doors were blocked. What she saw caused her to stop dead in her tracks, gawking in disbelief. Beyond the crowd of people stood a familiar face taking attendance of the group. He was wearing khakis and had his head buried in a clipboard, but Takumi was still unmistakable. A professor's badge was pinned to his jacket.

"Oh, no no no no," Kiryu repeated softly to herself, face quickly changing from disbelief to righteous outrage. This couldn't be happening. This had to be some concussion-induced hallucination. The teen barged past Ivy, through the crowd and up to her former opponent, who stared at his clipboard and made no indication of the furious student in front of him.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing here?!" Kiryu seethed, hands shaking slightly with rage.

"Wait a minute," Ivy had taken the time to catch up and was now making the connection, looking at the man's name on the badge, "don't tell me, _this_ is the guy? The guy we've heard so much about?" The story of Kiryu's humiliation had evidently travelled extremely quickly, as the crowd had begun murmuring to each other, also realizing who this person was. A buzzing of exaggerated rumors about the Alley Cat leader knocked out cold began filling the background. Kiryu tried to block it all out as she faced the situation in front of her.

"Did you… Did you know that I was a student here before… Before what happened yesterday?" she asked harshly, back turned to the ever-increasing crowd.

"I did not," Takumi finally spoke up, still staring and scribbling on his clipboard. "Frankly, I'm quite surprised that you haven't been expelled from this school yet, judging from your poor performance yesterday," Kiryu wasn't the only person in the crowd staring at the teacher with incredulity. A couple of Kiryu's schoolyard enemies had to stifle their surprised laughter.

"How can someone like you be a teacher here?" Kiryu questioned desperately, still holding onto the hope that this was all a terrible mistake.

"I received confirmation of my hiring two weeks ago. Would you care to see my legal papers?" Takumi patronized.

"You… You think you can get away with kicking around one of your students?" Kiryu accused, "I can report you to the Dean, I can call the police right now for causing my injuries!"

"You may do as you wish," Takumi said lightly, finally looking up at Kiryu with a bored expression, "but I am confident that both will take my side. Our Burst battle was legitimate and fair. Not to mention that, Unlike you, I have done nothing illegal, and I will not hesitate to tell that to the authorities this time around," Kiryu felt heat on her neck and wanted to Night Slash the Greek chorus of dissent behind her. Takumi turned back to his attendance sheet. "Go inside and take your seat, Miss… Camilla," A quick glance at the staring students behind her made the teen lose her nerve and she slowly headed into the gym, glowering at the floor. Takumi proceeded to get the remaining students back in line and took attendance without another word.

* * *

"I don't believe this," Kiryu groaned, voice muffled from her head between her arms. She could tell that the guy was a few years older than her, but old enough to be a college graduate? She felt Sucker Punch'd.

"I can't believe he got such a prestigious job at his age," Ivy said. You know, if he got a haircut and ditched the scarf, he wouldn't look half bad," the two friends now sat on the bleachers on the side of the spacious gymnasium. The room was mostly barren save for a large arena marked by lines along the floor. Kiryu turned to look daggers at Ivy before putting her head down again. Ivy sighed at Kiryu's drama. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad."

"You have no idea what a jackass this guy is," Kiryu retorted, taking a look at the students filing in along the bleachers. Ben, who she shared the class with, was looking equally forlorn, slumped in his seat. "The guy defeated me in a Burst Battle then left me in a dark alley all alone. Now he's going to be here every day to remind everyone of it."

"As a teacher," Ivy pointed out, smiling knowingly, "and what do we do better than making fun of our superiors?" Kiryu did nothing at first, then slowly looked at her friend and returned a nasty smirk.

"As some of you might have heard, I am now your new Physical Education teacher after your previous retired, a job that I accepted two weeks ago," Takumi finally entered the room and immediately began talking, his voice now much louder but just as stern, "my name is Takumi Chikao Genji, a native of the Sinnoh region come to work at the RéBURST Academy. I will be your Physical Education and training instructor from this point forward."

"Ah, the Sinnoh region," Ivy started off the taunting quietly, "home of blizzards, swamps and jihadist spacemen," A few of the surrounding students chuckled at the topical humor. If Takumi had heard Ivy, he didn't show it. He began walking back and forth in front of the class.

"Now, I would like to preface our first lesson with a bit of philosophy," Many of the students began quieting down, looking to see where this speech was going, "As you all very well know, the art of Bursting is a physical, mental and spiritual connection between human and Pokémon. Burst Warriors and their Pokémon have the aptitude for a great deal of power. With this comes a great sense of dignity and responsibility.

"With that in mind, while I appreciate the teachings of founder Harmoni, I find that the construction and subsequent secularization and commercialization of this Academy has created a great divide in the spiritual and moral aspects of Bursting."

"Looks like we've got a hippie on our hands," Kiryu remarked, louder for the class to hear.

"We already know he's into flower power," Ivy added, giggling. At this point the new professor stopped pacing the bleachers, a sure sign that he heard the taunts. The teens glanced at each other in satisfaction.

"From what I have seen, your previous teaching has left much to be desired," Takumi continued, "I have already seen multiple instances of Burst Warriors abusing their gift in this city. I believe that this behavior is rooted in a greater problem: A lack of spiritual bond with your Pokémon."

"Did you hear that?" Kiryu called around, "Y'all need Arceus!" this one got more than a few laughs and a couple "Amen!"'s. Takumi stopped speaking once more, giving an annoyed stare at the far wall. How do he like getting all worked up and frustrated, prick?

"…As I was saying, my experiences with the Burst Warriors of Winterspring, limited as it may be, has reflected a lack of spirituality. Both human and Pokémon must be in sync in and out of battle. There must be mutual respect and understanding between the you and the companion inside your Burst Heart. Only then will you be able to release your full potential regardless of the obstacles ahead of you. My father taught me these valuable lessons during my training and I have become the warrior that I am today. I hope to pass these teachings onto you."

"Only through these teachings has the stick truly been stuck up my ass," Ivy grunted in Takumi's voice, causing Kiryu and several others to laugh out loud at the juvenile insult.

"Tell us more about your parents, daddy's girl!" One of Ben's lackeys was now joining in, giving Kiryu a new perspective on teaming up to stop the greater evil. The greatest evil was now visibly angry, giving a barely-audible sigh. Takumi closed his eyes for a second and looked down at the floor, tapping his foot.

"…Perhaps a demonstration is in order," he finally spoke, opening his eyes and looking back at the crowd. The rabble quickly quieted at this proposition. Did he mean what they thought he meant?

"I see no other alternative than to appeal to your shallow ideals," Takumi said calmly, though the bite was not lost on his class, "if you will not listen to my words, then I will do what I do best: Burst Battling," he now had their attention, "a weak mind requires a basic demonstration, so why not do it in the most cliché way possible? One of you may volunteer to engage in a Burst Battle with me. If you are able to strike me once, the battle is over."

"He can't be serious," Ivy said to Kiryu as the crowd broke out into a chorus of murmuring. As much as she wanted to laugh at such a ridiculous challenge, something told Kiryu that this Takumi guy wasn't much for joking; he actually believed that he could come out of a Burst Battle completely unscathed.

Evidently, his reputation really did spread as the large class seemed hesitant to offer volunteers after hearing so much about this character. The question on whether or not a teacher could fight a student was brought up multiple times with no definitive answer. After pondering it for a moment, Kiryu had an idea.

"I think it's your time to shine, my friend," she patted Ivy on the back, causing her to look at Kiryu in disbelief.

"You want _me_ to go up against him?" She whispered, to which Kiryu nodded.

"Sure, why not? We already know that he has a Roserade, there's a good chance you'll have the advantage anyways," Ivy glanced at Takumi, thinking deeply, and Kiryu continued to encourage. "What better way to get under his skin than beating him at his own game?" After another second of consideration, Ivy nodded confidently and stood up.

"Alright, I'll accept your challenge," she yelled down at the professor, who was waiting patiently. He nodded immediately.

"Very well. Miss," he glanced at his clipboard, "Thrawn. Choose your Pokémon and come stand at the end of the gym," the teacher took a Burst Heart from under his overcoat. Kiryu could barely make out the white and purple markings of the Burst Heart he had used before fighting her. Ivy took out her one and only Burst Heart, a brown and red stone, and Bursted immediately in the bleachers. Her hair seemed to light on fire, her outfit turned white and gold and she sported a flexible tail, she had Bursted with her partner, Infernape. In a single bound she jumped from the bleachers to the ground and strode over to her spot in the arena. Takumi moved to his position and placed his Burst Heart to his head.

Kiryu could feel the temperature drop before the light from the Burst faded. Takumi's overcoat had now turned into a long kimono that covered his head. He levitated slightly above the ground and sported two icicles on top of his hood. Some of the foreign students laughed at Takumi's poor matchup, but the Sakhaloh natives remained silent. The dangers of a Froslass were well-known in the northern mountains of the region, mostly through their ice sculpture work rather than those who lived to speak of them. All of the students had no qualms about taking bets on the surprise match.

"Froslass are supposed to be fast, maybe even faster than an Infernape."

"There's no way he'll avoid every hit in this empty room. Teach'll be lucky not to get KO'd in one hit!"

Kiryu, herself, didn't think much of Takumi's choice until she saw that Ben was finally grinning maliciously at Ivy. She then realized that he knew better than anyone how Takumi could possibly win against a Fire type. The little voice of dread in the back of her mind crept up once more, so she bundled up in her sweatshirt and sat silently for the show.

"You may begin when ready," Takumi called across the room. "If you hit me one time, I will concede defeat."

"With due haste," Ivy responded, analyzing her target. Like a bullet she rushed at Takumi, pawing the ground to gain momentum. Halfway across the gym she tucked her head and rolled forwards, her flaming hair immediately engulfing Ivy's entire body with fire. The Flame Wheel raced towards the Froslass Burst, who floated in place as Ivy drew ever nearer. Just as the Flame Wheel was about to crash into Takumi he spun upwards into the air, not even singed. Ivy found herself directly under her opponent, who had risen close to the lofty ceiling. She threw several small fireballs, Ember attacks, upwards at Takumi but he easily floated out of the way.

Kiryu was wondering how Takumi thought he could avoid all of his opponent's attacks in such a large, barren room, and now her query was answered. Takumi's next move was to turn upwards towards the ceiling and blast it with Blizzard. Several loud complaints were heard from the peanut gallery about the rapidly decreasing temperature, but Kiryu was focused on the effect of the attack. The billowing winds from the Blizzard attack began filling the entire room, covering the arena in an icy shroud, almost like an impromptu Mist attack. Ivy wasn't quick enough to stop the tactic and soon the only thing visible from the bleachers was the flame on her head.

"Not bad, professor," Kiryu could barely make out Ivy's outline standing in place, searching cautiously for any sign of the ice type, "what are you gonna do now? Stab me from behind like a coward?"

"I have no such intention of actually attacking you. That would be unprofessional," came a voice from behind Ivy. Her silhouette spun around, only to find nothing in the mist. "I'm merely making a point to you all. Bursting without a connection with your Pokémon shrouds your true potential. A fog of conflict will engulf you during battle as you and your Pokémon struggle to work together," as he finished speaking, Kiryu and Ivy seemed to spot the dark outline of Takumi at the same time. The Infernape Burst opened her mouth and blasted the outline with Flamethrower. Some of the mist lifted to reveal the Double Team of Takumi disappearing from the attack. The real Burst Warrior floated calmly behind Ivy.

"This will only result in confusion," Takumi raised his arms and let off a yellow light, which zigzagged and circled around Ivy's head. Ivy turned around once more and made a lunge for Takumi, but the Confuse Ray only caused her fist to smash into the floor.

"Together, man and Pokémon can be more powerful than either could be individually," Takumi monologued as Ivy blinked to rid herself of the confusion, "but without a spiritual link, even the most feral of wild Pokémon could best you," Takumi raised his elongated arms once more and the remaining mist seemed to gravitate towards him. With one motion he launched an Ominous Wind attack around Ivy, engulfing her with frigid air and obscuring mist once more. "Tell me, Miss Thrawn, do you even have that link with your Pokémon?"

"Shut up, already!" Ivy cried angrily, firing off more Embers in Takumi's direction. By now, though, he had already faded into the mist once more. Ivy began breathing deeply and calmed down, searching for her target. For the first time that day, the class was silent, least of all due to the freezing temperature. Their professor had taken a battle between two fast and nimble Pokémon and turned it into a tension-filled waiting game. Kiryu's friend began slowly moving through the fog, looking every direction for an attack, outline or other sign of Takumi's presence. He didn't play his hand.

Throughout this waiting game, Kiryu took note of something. She had seen it when Ivy first fired at Takumi's double, and she saw it again as the Burst Warrior stumbled across the gymnasium. The fire on her head was slowly cutting a pathway through the mist as it turned to steam and rose. Kiryu briefly wondered how Ivy did so well in chemistry yet didn't seem to notice this, leaving it up to her to intervene. What else were friends for?

"Hey, girl!" Kiryu called out from the bleachers, immediately catching Ivy's attention, "Quit turning this place into a sauna and finish him already!" The sharp turn in Ivy's head caused the mist around her to dissipate and the Burst Warrior immediately understood. At that same moment, Takumi made his mistake.

"I request that all students not to interfere-" Ivy used Flamethrower at the sound of the teacher's voice and the Froslass Burst was forced to take evasive maneuvers away from the stream of fire. Ivy continued her attack across the perimeter of the room, Takumi barely able to fly ahead of the attack. As the Flamethrower continued the mist gradually started disappearing, giving the students in the bleachers a clearer view of the increased-pace of the battle.

"Get 'em, Ivy!" One of the other students cheered, and soon half of the bleachers began shouting encouragements at their fellow student. With Takumi on the run and chaos ensuing, Kiryu leaned backwards and placed her feet up, her work finished.

Ivy was alternating between Ember and Flamethrower attacks, hitting much closer to her target now that she could see him. Takumi obviously wasn't to go down easily as he flipped, twisted and dodged each attack with increasing strain. The Ice-type Burst didn't have time to get off another Double Team or Confuse ray with the intensity of the action. He was faster than Ivy, but just one attack had to hit for the battle to be over and every second the mist, not to mention his advantage, was rapidly disappearing.

Takumi blocked another Ember attack with Ice Shard, feeling the lick of flames as the fireball almost hit him. Though he could fly in three dimensions Ivy was quickly closing the gap between them, taking a step forwards with each attack. The teacher was, quite literally, getting backed against the wall. Kiryu wanted to see Takumi's desperate face, but what little she could make out under the hood remained stone-faced. His eyes followed every attack with increasing focus and his mouth stayed clenched, no longer lecturing.

A final Flamethrower forced Takumi to back up once more, hitting into the wall behind him. Kiryu took this chance to stand up on the bench and make her move.

"Who's weak now, jackass?!" She yelled across the room, and at that moment Takumi took his eyes off of Ivy, glancing over at Kiryu. It was at that same moment that Ivy launched another Flamethrower.

What happened next, Kiryu couldn't quite make out. She could've sworn that she saw Takumi flinch and look away at the incoming attack, but less than a second later an Ice Beam was being fired from the Froslass's arms. The two beam attacks collided and created a huge burst of energy and steam, blocking out Takumi's face. The class stared in wonder as the disadvantaged Ice Beam overcame the fire attack, pushing the flames away and streaking towards Ivy. She had no time to dodge and was hit full-on by the Ice Beam. Steam now engulfed the field of battle, causing most of the class to stand up and try to get a glimpse at what happened. When the gas finally dissipated, the group was met with Ivy, trapped in a giant block of ice.

Takumi had no words to say as he breathed heavily from his nose. After a second the jagged ice crystal began turning to water on the floor before it broke apart completely, heated by the Infernape's flaming head. Ivy, still in Burst Form, fell over onto her stomach after breaking out. The class looked over to Takumi, a teacher who had directly hit a student with a Pokémon attack. The man looked over at the audience, closed his eyes for a second and Unbursted.

"I believe… That we are finished," he stated clearly to the silent room, a bit more exhausted but with the usual monotone voice. He walked over to Ivy, still dazed and on the floor, and extended a hand to help her up.

"Did that Ice type just beat an Infernape?" one of the students finally asked, breaking the silence. "That's… pretty cool," As Ivy took Takumi's hand and Unbursted, the group broke back into a rabble, torn between the teenage disdain for authority and the impressive battle just played out before them. Many of the students begrudgingly admitted to the strength of Takumi while others expressed their disdain for the somewhat anticlimactic ending to the battle.

Kiryu remained silent, feeling numb to seeing her enemy score yet another victory. After spending a day giving herself grief over her battling skills the previous night, she felt a bit emotionally drained. The optimistic side of her brain told her that maybe she wasn't as weak as she thought. Takumi was just a freak of nature. Emphasis on "freak."

As the bell rang for the end of class, she took careful note of how Takumi spoke to Ivy before sending her on her way, inaudible over the din of the crowd. She quickly hopped down the bleachers and met with her friend at the door.

"Tough luck, kid," Kiryu consoled, taking off her sweatshirt to give to a hypothermic-looking Ivy, "You did great out there."

"Thanks," Ivy nodded, looking rather neutral about the battle. In fact, she looked somewhat accepting of the loss. "He is rather skilled."

"I'm guessing that he called you a waste of time as well, eh?" Kiryu asked about the final words between the two. Ivy shook her head, smiling slightly.

"Oh no, he actually said that my battling was… 'satisfactory.'"

"He said WHAT?!" Kiryu couldn't help but exclaim. She was on the brink of winning that alley brawl with Takumi (at least, she thought she was) and he leaves her with the garbage. Meanwhile, Ivy doesn't land a single hit on the guy and she was 'satisfactory?!' "Well, what did you say to him, then?" Kiryu asked.

"I told Mr. Genji 'thank you,'" Ivy shrugged. Kiryu shook her head in disgust. Any respect for that man was too much. The teen was about to tell her friend what a suck-up she was, when a small group of students surrounded Ivy in the hallway.

"Nice going, Ivy!" one boy patted Ivy on the back, grinning widely, "You showed him a thing or two about Burst Battling, that's for sure! I bet you could've pulled it off if the battle kept going," Kiryu was knocked away from Ivy as the crowd gathered around, pushing her to the wayside.

"Way to stick it to him," Arinaga, a strapping blonde upperclassman gave Ivy the thumbs up. She immediately blushed.

"Heh, thanks!" she giggled, being shepherded away by the crowd. Kiryu stood near the wall, watching the group leave her behind. In a single sentence, not even directed at her, this Takumi guy had gotten her worked up all over again. Just when she was moving on. And he was her professor for the rest of the year.

She should've stayed in bed.

* * *

 **For any of you readers that knew about the original RP, you'll find that we're already making drastic changes to the story. Takumi was definitely NOT certified to be a teacher, nor did he have any qualifications that allowed him to be good at such a job. In this version, he has at least one of those.**

 **The first chapter was little more than an expansion on the original RP. Takumi defeats Ben in a battle, meets up with Kiryu and takes her out as well. This chapter is bringing out a lot of new relationship dynamics and plot points that are completely made from my own head in an attempt to improve on the original story. I won't reveal all of these changes yet, for fear of spoilers, but Takumi not being a student is one of the biggest ones. My goal is to set up a better base for the relationship that Takumi and Kiryu develop later on in the story. Now that we're venturing into the territory of my own original content, I'd really appreciate seeing some feedback from both old and new readers.**

 **The chapter came out a lot longer than I expected, much to my contentment. Next chapter we'll be talking about Kiryu and her original character. Thanks for reading!**


	3. The Punk and the Godfather

The following Friday evening, a couple hours after school, Kiryu was back on campus, hanging her legs on a rooftop ledge. Situated just off the main street to the main academy, the squat, one-story brick building was cast in shadows from the larger buildings in front of it, and the adjoining street was mostly deserted. Kiryu sat on the edge, absentmindedly kicking her legs in the air as she waited for her prey.

It came in the form of a young man exiting the building. The student unknowingly left through the side door and headed back towards the city, several folders in his arms. He was blissfully ignorant.

"Schedule changes, Yūji?" Kiryu politely asked, looking down on the target. Yūji whirled around in surprise, looking for the source of the voice for a second before finally seeing Kiryu on top of the roof. He quickly figured out the reason for Kiryu's sudden appearance and tried to give an innocent smile back at her. It came off more like a grimace.

"O-oh, Kiryu!" He exclaimed, "I didn't see you there. Yeah, I'm dropping a class, had to tell my counselor, uh, that I was changing…" Kiryu let him trail off before picking up the conversation.

"That's great," she started, then leaned forward, giving Yūji a condescending look. "So, do you have my money?"

"Uh, Money?" the student tried to look oblivious at first, but the Alley Cat knew that he understood. When that didn't work, the student feigned sudden comprehension. "Oh yeah, Well, you see," he explained nervously, "I don't exactly have the full amount on me… Right now."

"Is that so?" Kiryu tilted her head, giving and understanding frown. "Well, I'm sure that you're willing to give me what you have on you. I'll just get back to you later," at this point, Yūji decided to drop the act completely.

"Give me a break, Kiryu, your gang didn't even do the full job!"

"It's not my fault Natsumi thinks that you smell like a Grimer in heat," Kiryu snapped, "but we knocked out her boyfriend for you fair and square, and the Alley Cats don't do partial refunds."

"I just need a bit more time, you know?" Yūji pleaded, slowly stepping backwards towards the street. In response, Kiryu stood to a crouching position and took out a Burst Heart.

"It's too late for that," the Alley Cat quickly hopped off the low building, the sudden movement startling her target into stumbling backwards and setting off his flight response. Yūji took out a Burst Heart of his own, Bursted with his Kricketune and began sprinting down the street. His escape attempted was stopped short by a Pursuit attack from Kiryu's Liepard, who had been waiting around the side of the structure. She knocked the bug type to the ground. Kiryu, watched the procedure with mild amusement before walking over to the dazed client. She leaned over Yūji and held out her hand.

"Hand it over," the boy took a second to stop seeing double from the Liepard's punch. He desperately looked for a way out, only to find the cat slinking towards him, ready to block his path. Looking upwards, he gave Kiryu a weak smile, then promptly leapt up into the air. This forced Kiryu to fall backwards to avoid getting headbutted. She watched the Burst Warrior's tiny wings work furiously to help him glide over the counselor's building.

"Damn it," she cursed while Liepard looked to her trainer for orders, "let's go get him," Kiryu shot a pokéball-esque beam from the Burst Heart, returning Liepard inside, then held it to her forehead and Bursted. She nimbly sprinted around the building after her prey.

Despite its jumping ability, the Liepard Burst was easily able to catch up with the much slower Bug Pokémon. Barely able to keep away from Kiryu, Yūji lead her around the back of the main school building and towards the small academy park bordering the woods. Unfortunately for him, the Liepard Burst was in striking distance as the Bug type landed on the stone wall bordering the park. Yūji was forced to desperately jump to the side as Kiryu nicked him with her claws, causing the Burst Warrior to fall off-course and land roughly behind a gardening shed, out of view from any potential onlookers. Kiryu grinned and charged her opponent, claws glowing with Night Slash.

Barely able to land on his feet, Yūji regained focus just in time to block Kiryu's attack with X-Scissor. The Dark type was about to rake the teen over with her claws but soon found herself locked in place by the Kricketune's hand-scythes. The super-effective attack was quickly overpowering Kiryu's Night Slash, so she was forced to back up and end the charge. Backed in a corner and with only one way left to go, Yūji continued forwards with another X-Scissor attack, unaware of the resourcefulness of his opponent.

As the cricket raced forward, arms crossed in attack, Kiryu suddenly kicked a cloud of dust up with her tail. Blinded by the Sand Attack, Kiryu's target couldn't respond as she ducked and kicked low, sweeping his legs out from under him. Yūji hit the ground hard and barely had time to register what happened before Kiryu pounced on top of him with an onslaught of Fury Swipes. The Burst Warrior tried to counter with Fury Cutter only to have his arms knocked away by a Slash attack from Kiryu. A second Slash cut across his unprotected chest. With one more Scratch attack for good measure, Kiryu flipped off of her opponent and landed gracefully on two legs, making sure that her opponent was truly incapacitated.

Very slowly, the Kricketune Burst tried to stand up, his entire body shaking furiously with pain and fatigue. On shaky legs he swayed from side to side while Kiryu edged towards him. At first, it looked like the Cricket Pokémon would be able to continued fighting. Then Kiryu proceeded to deck him across the face, causing Yūji to immediately Unburst and fall onto his back. Barely conscious, the subdued target stared hazily at the sky before it was blotted by Kiryu's triumphant face.

"Hand over the money, Yūji."

"…Fine…" the boy conceded before weakly taking off his backpack. Kiryu snatched it and emptied its contents onto the ground.

"This isn't enough, kid," Kiryu pointed out after counting up the meager sum in the bag.

"I told you I didn't have it all," Yūji woozily said in response, still laying on the ground in pain and defeat. Kiryu had assumed that the client was lying earlier. Before she could give him a good kick in the ribs, however, she heard voices approaching. Thinking fast, the Alley Cat was about to make a break for it when a light purple stone, fallen from the bag, caught her eye.

"What do we have here?" Kiryu asked slyly, quickly picking up the Burst Heart.

* * *

Kiryu made a quick getaway over the stone wall and nestled in a grove of trees at the center of Academy Park. She sat in the shadows and peered out at the hillside around her. A few people were enjoying the clear, if chilly, evening with their friends and Pokémon. A Hoothoot called drowsily in the treetops surrounding the area, having just woken up for an early hunt. None of the people noticed the teen Burst Warrior hiding in the bushes, much to her satisfaction.

Kiryu was certain that no bystanders had caught her escaping into the park, so she wasn't worried about facing repercussions for stealing. And to be fair, the money was rightfully hers, anyways. There was no way that Yūji would dare rat on her, lest she inform the authorities about why she was paid in the first place. With no dangers to watch out for, the dark-haired girl focused on her new Burst Heart.

Upon looking inside (a moment of intense concentration caused the mystical stone to become partially transparent) Kiryu made out the long, whiskered form of a Mienshao. This was quite a surprise, as Kiryu never remembered Yūji owning such a proud and powerful Pokémon. If she cared enough, she'd find the time to ask him about where he caught it. The only thing that mattered now, however, was how much it would sell for. The extent of Kiryu's illegal activities was vandalism and shoplifting, so she had no idea how much a Pokémon could go for on the black market. The same couldn't be said for more than one of her Alley Cat comrades, so she'd have to stop by The Alley and get one of them to appraise it.

…On the other hand, Kiryu had been on the lookout for a third Pokémon to use on the streets now that Espeon lived at home. And from what little she knew about them, Mienshao's long-range punches with those sleeves were right up her fighting style alley. On an impulse, the teen decided, eh, what the heck, she'll keep it. After all, it was her favorite color.

After another minute of consideration, Kiryu had made up her mind. Mienshao would be her third Pokémon. With that settled, there was nothing left to do but take it for a test drive. Kiryu Bursted with her new partner, gaining whip-like sleeve extensions and two long whiskers. As was usual for a first Burst with a new owner, Kiryu sensed confusion and discretion from the Fighting type. Kiryu mentally assured the Pokémon that she meant it no harm and wished to fight alongside it. Thankfully, Kiryu felt a cautious acceptance from a Pokémon that she had thought would be rather pompous. She sensed that this wasn't this Mienshao's first new owner. Before the two could truly work together, though, they'd have to prove their strength to each other.

Kiryu took a few cautious steps around the grove, immediately finding difficulty in not stepping and tripped on her elongated arms. This was her first biped Pokémon. Where she previously kept her arms low to the ground to sprint on all fours, she now had to keep them as far away as possible. After a few laps, the magic synergy of Burst Warriors kicked in and Kiryu quickly got the hang of walking, running and punching with her Mienshao. Despite the lack of experience, Kiryu could feel the raw power with this Pokémon. She felt much stronger, both offensively and defensively, than with Liepard, and just as fast.

Once she got the hang of her new partner, the teen leapt out of the grove and began running down the sidewalk, the cold air brushing across her face as she went. As the sun set, Kiryu ran down the hill towards the forest where no one was walking. She jumped onto a park bench and launched her sleeve at a nearby trashcan. Her attack crossed the width of the sidewalk and slammed into the basket, knocking it into the air and scattering garbage everywhere. Kiryu grinned almost giddily, feeling like a kid on Christmas morning. She and Mienshao were going to get along just fine.

She was ready to sprint back up the hill and to the city when she spotted someone coming down the pathway. Instinctively, Kiryu ran into the trees and ducked behind a bush.

The teen watched as a familiar woman and her Pokémon leisurely strolled down the path, taking time to view the few trees with leaves still on them. Suki Harmoni's dark brown, almost black, ponytail swished behind her as she strutted down the sidewalk. She was accompanied by a fox Pokémon with golden fur, and Kiryu tried to recall the foreign Pokémon's name. Was it Seventails? As the two passed around the fallen garbage can, the teen began feeling some of the resentment from yesterday. After being numbed by the previous day's gym battle, Kiryu had almost successfully kept any angst from her mind. Not having gym class or even seeing He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named in the hallways also helped. Now, though, her boxed-in feelings were bubbling up against the secretary that yelled at her for no good reason yesterday. That's when she got an idea.

The Alley Cat was still down profits from her debacle with Yūji, and she wasn't going to make anything on Mienshao. Why not make up for it from rich girl Suki's pockets? Steal from the rich and give to the poor. She could pull it off in this deserted evening park, so there was no greater opportunity. With more than profit on the mind, Kiryu made her decision and jumped out of the bushes, landing on the sidewalk behind Suki. The 20-year-old jumped and turned around at Kiryu's sudden appearance.

"Oh, Kiryu!" Suki gasped, then immediately dropped to an almost unsure whisper, "Imagine seeing you here!"

"Yeah, imagine that," Kiryu said nonchalantly, trying to hide her true intentions. While Suki seemed to initially fall for the act, her Pokémon immediately began growling lowly at the new arrival. Kiryu saw Suki's eyes glance at her Pokémon. The light immediately drained from those eyes as Suki looked back at the Mienshao Burst.

"Um… Is that a new Pokémon?" Suki asked cautiously, now slowly backing away from Kiryu. In response, Kiryu took a couple steps forward and gave a mock-pose.

"Yep, that's right," she said, "you like it?" Suki nodded meekly, glancing for any potential bystanders. She found none. "Listen, Suki, you wouldn't happen to have some spare change on you, would ya?" Kiryu asked, grinning slyly.

"Well, I, uh," Suki's voice somehow dropped another level, "not much change, no."

"Oh, come on," Kiryu gave a cold laugh, "A girl like you without a penny to spare?"

"Let's be reasonable, Kiryu, d-don't think I don't know what's going on. I'll alert the Dean about this," Kiryu scoffed at that one and continued to advance on the secretary, whose face turned even whiter than normal. "You don't have to do this, Miss Kiryu! I need this money…"

"Oh, please," Kiryu rolled her eyes, "you're a Harmoni. You literally own this school. I don't think money is a problem," Seeing that Suki wasn't going to give up the money voluntarily, Kiryu raised her arms threateningly to scare the woman. In response, Suki's Ninetales quickly stepped in between the two, embers spewing from between the canine's bared teeth. This gave Kiryu pause. She hated fighting unbursted Pokémon: it felt too much like kicking a normal animal around. "Suki, just call off your dog and hand over some cash, I've had a rough week," Kiryu tried to play off her apprehension nonchalantly.

"I-I… Can't do that," Suki stammered, torn between letting her Pokémon attack a student. Or, more likely, letting her pet get knocked around by a delinquent. The Fire type was now taking steps towards Kiryu, completely unafraid, looking ready to bite her arms at any second. Weren't these things supposed to be calm and sage-like, Kiryu wondered? The two squared off, waiting for the other to flinch. Kiryu prepared a Force Palm while the fox's many tails seemed to glow with heat. Kiryu raised an arm, Fire flared in Ninetale's mouth, Suki flinched and looked away.

"What is going on here?" followed a well-known sigh that made Kiryu shake like nails on a chalkboard. The three turned to look at Takumi as he seemed to materialize from the woods, bundled in his scarf and overcoat.

"Damn it, Takumi, you piece o-"

"Language, Miss Camilla," Takumi interrupted her, his expression as bored as always, "And that's Mr. Genji to you. Now, I trust that you were not just mugging Miss… Secretary, over here?"

"What the _hell_ are you doing out here?!" Kiryu glowered at the teacher, "This must qualify as stalking at this point!" Suki looked back and forth between the two with fear and uncertainty, unused to their dynamic. Her Ninetales had stopped preparing an attack but still stood on alert, watching Takumi closely.

"Hardly," Takumi responded to Kiryu in a disgusted tone, causing her to bite her lip in anger, "I'm simply training in these woods. By sheer coincidence I find you, Miss Camilla, about to come on the losing end to a Ninetales," he sniffed, and said quieter, "the people they're allowing into these academies nowadays, I tell you…"

"Oh, will you drop the 'tough guy' act?!" Kiryu shouted at yet another denouncement, "You… You aren't even as strong as you say you are!"

As Kiryu made this claim, something clicked in her head. She had unconsciously put two and two together, just in time to back up her insults, "I've watched you battle twice now, and both times your Pokémon came to rescue your sorry ass! I totally would've won our battle if your Roserade didn't step in while you were shaking on the ground. I thought you were all about connecting with Pokémon, not letting them control your body and act however they want," the teen felt a surge of triumph as Takumi's nostrils flared. She had hit a real, genuine nerve on the man.

He stood still, mouth clenched shut, staring Kiryu directly in the eyes. She looked smugly at him, waiting to see him finally break or blow a gasket. Instead, the teacher seemed to look her completely over, taking stock of her Mienshao Burst. It was the same look he used to analyze her Liepard form. After doing so, Takumi took a deep breath and spoke calmly,

"You really believe that my wins are a fluke? That you're stronger than I?"

"That's right," Kiryu answered confidently, despite the uncertainty of her claim. The back part of her brain was going off again. The one that warned her of overconfidence. Takumi seemed to be leading up to something, but Kiryu had no idea how he could prove that his Pokémon weren't just pulling the weight. She half-expected the sociopath to challenge her to a fist fight.

"Very well, then," Takumi swiftly took out a third light-grey Burst Heart, "let's test your theory. That Mienshao, it's not accounted for at the Academy. I trust that you have recently caught it?"

"…Perhaps," Kiryu admitted, starting to realize where the man was going with this.

"I caught the Pokémon inside this Burst Heart only this morning," Takumi showed her the stone. "Neither of them is trained, and they haven't formed a strong bond with us. Therefore, a battle between us would be decided purely on individual skill. Let's see you back up your claims."

A rematch. He was suggesting a rematch, something that Kiryu wasn't sure she wanted. On one hand, she was, indeed, inexperienced with Mienshao. The teen hardly needed another defeat to pile onto her recent worries. On the other, finally knocking Takumi out would be very satisfying. Well then, it seemed that the positives were starting to outweigh the negatives.

"How do I know that you just caught that Pokémon?" Kiryu asked the black-haired teacher, who scoffed.

"I assure you that I am a man of my word. The Pokémon inside of this Burst Heart is completely inexperienced in the art of Bursting and battling. Our match would only be a test of our own skill."

"Why are you doing this?" Kiryu questioned, neglecting to mention that Mienshao had likely battled before, "Got something to prove about yourself by fighting a teenager?"

"On the contrary, I am merely helping you to realize your arrogance," Takumi answered dryly. Mr. Kettle, you are looking quite black today, Kiryu thought. Nevertheless, his latest quip had her fired up and ready to go. She was ready to shut him up once and for all. She glanced at Suki, who was simultaneously trying to melt into a nearby tree and hold back her Ninetales from attacking. Then she turned towards Takumi for yet another battle.

"Alright, let's do this. You've already seen Mienshao, are you gonna give me the same courtesy?" Without another word, Takumi placed his Burst Heart to his head and filled the area with light. Kiryu was surprised to see the bright outline of Takumi shrink slightly. When it faded, the Cinccino Burst's scarf was now attached to his head. The Mienshao Burst smirked despite herself.

"Don't you think you're pushing the odds a bit, tough guy?"

"Truly, it is a humbling week for the typing system."

"Whatever you say. Let's settle this," the fight was on once more.

Kiryu launched herself at her target, testing her usual Liepard strategy with this new Pokémon. The sudden coordinated action and speed seemed to catch the Normal type off guard as Kiryu clapped her hands over Takumi's enlarged ears. The sharp _SNAP_ and pain caused Takumi's pupils to dilate and mouth to hang open in shock from the Fake Out, and Kiryu used the opportunity to smack her opponent with Double Slap. The first to hits landed directly across Takumi's face but he quickly regained composure and began backing away from the powerful Fighting type.

As Kiryu attacked, she quickly noticed the difference between Liepard and Mienshao. While the Martial Arts Pokémon was, indeed, much more powerful than the cat, her cumbersome sleeves needed much more space and momentum than Liepard's claws. Its greater speed allowed the small Cinccino Burst to finally hop out of the way of Kiryu's range, several yards away from her.

"Running away already?" Kiryu basically shouted across the park to him. "You think you can just forfeit because you got a bad- AAAAUGH!" Kiryu screamed as an ear-splitting sonic noise ripped from Takumi's mouth and flew across the length of the park. The sonic ripples so powerful that they picked up fallen leaves and trash. Even on the sidelines, Suki fell over, clutching her ears while her Ninetales put its head in its paws and whimpered. Tears of pain blurring her vision, Kiryu tried to whip at Takumi with her arms, but it felt like the Hyper Voice, itself, was pushing her attack back like a gust of wind.

Emptying his lungs, Takumi ended the attack, leaving nothing but an intense ringing in everyone's ears at an acre-wide radius. When Kiryu saw him taking a breath for another one, she knew the situation was now desperate. The professor seemed to have calculated the exact distance to be out of range of Kiryu's sleeve-whips, so she prayed that her Pokémon had some kind of ranged attack. Searching her brain, she found only one and immediately fired it off. The Mienshao's sleeves snapped at the air and a series of star-shaped projectiles flew out from under her sleeves, locking onto Takumi. The Cinccino quickly took action and grabbed hold of his scarf. As the Swift attack reached its target, Takumi swiped his own scarf in front of his body. The clothing proved to be more than a fashion accessory as it partially absorbed the energy attack, minimizing the damage. Fortunately for Kiryu, though, the second Hyper Voice attack had to be cancelled so that her opponent could successfully block.

Without missing a beat, Takumi swung his scarf again, sending a Swift attack of his own back towards Kiryu. She had no other choice than to use her only ranged attack once more before trying to block part of the unavoidable move. Very quickly the match became a series of stars flying across the park at each other, colliding in the center to form a rather brilliant light show. Takumi's scarf and STAB bonus gave him the edge on both attack and defense, and the younger teen soon found herself getting beaten down by a barrage of stars, holding her sleeve over her face and trying not to fall over. She needed to at least try and get closer to Takumi, or else she was going to be swamped by his attacks.

The Fighting type ended her own Swift attacks to regain her footing, still suffering from a constant stream of stars from the other side. Barely resilient enough to stand straighter, Kiryu took slow steps toward Takumi, like trying to go against a river current. Each attack from the professor made Kiryu more and more tired, but she persisted and moved into range. Without hesitation she whipped both sleeves at Takumi in two Force Palm attacks. The enemy Burst Warrior saw both attacks coming but was too late to move out of the way. He hastily ducked under the first whip's snap, but the second hit hard, knocking the crouched Takumi backwards to the tree line. This was her only chance to turn the tide of battle.

The Martial Arts Pokémon sprinted towards Takumi but was shocked as the man stood back up and began running _towards her._ Caught off-guard, Kiryu only had time to try a single Pound attack at Takumi, which he easily dodged, before he got into melee range of her. The teen tried to punch at Takumi, now a foot apart from him, only for her large sleeves to get in the way. It was much too late to realize Takumi's strategy as he began spinning in place, his scarf ruthlessly slashing into Kiryu in a Tail Slap attack. In the meantime, he was happy to indulge her.

"You see," Takumi begain nonchalantly, hitting her across the face once, "Mienshao are powerful,"

Twice.

"Yet they have a limited range,"

Three times.

"Get too close or far,"

Four.

"And they are virtually helpless."

Five. The final hit left Kiryu barely standing, wobbling in place. This could NOT be how it ended, a virtual wipeout on her part. She had to do something. Anything.

A guttural growl escaped Kiryu's throat and she attempted to elbow Takumi in the face, only for him to easily dodge. The momentum from her attack sent her sleeve flying erratically. Had she been more attuned with Mienshao, she might've been able to control it. Yet in her pain and fatigue, the sleeve flew over Takumi's head and wrapped around Kiryu's body. Takumi watched this happen expressionlessly, pausing as Kiryu tangled herself up.

Binded by her own weapon, the Fighting type could do nothing but watch Takumi's scarf whip around to meet her stomach. Her abdomen was then crushed by the Slam attack, knocking her off her feet and backwards. It felt like Mienshao was physically knocked out of her body and into the air. As Kiryu unbursted, she was left with a feeling from the Fighting type that she had never previously felt from her other Pokémon: Disappointment. Dejection. She landed on the sidewalk with a dull thud. Despite being pummeled, Kiryu strangely felt like she still had the energy to go on. She realized that Mienshao had unbursted of her own accord.

"Proven all that you needed to prove?" Takumi asked pointedly, actually acknowledging Kiryu's presence after a battle. "Take this battle with you, Miss Camilla. You have failed because of your lack of spiritual connection, as much as your lack of skill. Until you obtain both of these abilities, stop wasting my, or anyone else's, time," the Burst Warrior walked away, leaving Kiryu to ruminate on the ground once again.

She had lost the rematch. Not only that, but it wasn't even close. No flukes on Takumi's part, no tense battle to the finish like before. Kiryu was beaten in a match stacked entirely in her favor. Oddly enough, that wasn't what was bugging her the most. Kiryu could've kept fighting, but Mienshao had ended it. That feeling of disappointment, it was directed at Kiryu. Her new Pokémon had, in effect, rejected Kiryu. She failed her own Pokémon's test of strength.

This feeling of dejection, it wasn't something Kiryu had ever experienced before. At least, not from one of her Pokémon. In fact, her Pokémon were one of the few who hadn't rejected her like that. Thanks to Takumi, that had now changed. The feelings built up over the past couple days emptied out, leaving the girl feeling hollow.

"Th-thank you, Mr. Genji. You didn't have to-" Suki started.

"I assure you, I would not have cared about this were it not a worthwhile training exercise," she faintly heard the conversation between the two.

Kiryu couldn't get angry now. She couldn't yell or scowl or insult Takumi, now. The only way to salvage any of her dignity was to just walk away. The black-haired teen slowly stood up, made sure that she wasn't seriously injured from the battle and tried to walk up the path with her head held high. As much as it pained, her, she didn't look back.

* * *

The sun was nothing more than thin, red line under a cold, cloudless sky. Kiryu meandered through the streets of Winterspring amongst a crowd of people whose weekend was just getting started. She paid no attention to the storefront lights and bustling people around her, too lost in thought about how terrible the past week had been.

It wasn't that Kiryu wasn't used to losing Burst Battles. As much as Kiryu didn't want to, she had to admit that her skirmishes with the Burst Beats only showed success about half of the time. So what was it about Takumi, yet another foreign Burst Warrior, come to Winterspring to show off his skills, that got under her skin so much?

Well, for starters, Kiryu thought, the man's ego and superiority complex are insufferable to her. His constant denouncements of Kiryu and her class made him the most unlikeable person that she had ever met. That's not even mentioning the fact that Takumi had the skills to back him up. Then there was his preaching about spirituality and mental bonds. Nothing but meaningless lessons from a bygone era that the girl neither knew nor cared to understand. The guy had skills, but he wasn't handing over the true secret to his success, Kiryu concluded.

As she thought, the teen came up with another reason that she hated Takumi, probably the most significant of them all; she hated how his power to change the world around her. She hated how he so easily changed the course of battle right under her feet. She hated how he seemingly used Ivy to mess with Kiryu's head. She hated how he made her own Pokémon turn against her. At this point, Kiryu turned her frustrations towards that same Pokémon.

"I would've won if it weren't for you," she took out Mienshao's Burst Heart and glared at it as she walked. She had every advantage she could think of, she had every opportunity to turn things around. Then the Fighting Type ended the battle early, making Kiryu look like a complete idiot. How dare this stupid Mienshao act like that, and how dare it mess with Kiryu's dynamic with Liepard and Espeon!

"I see why you're traded away so often," Kiryu said disdainfully to the rock. Maybe she would turn it over to the black market after all. Before any decisions on Mienshao's fate could be made, however, Kiryu finally made it to her destination: the one and only Alley Cat hideout.

Situated in the titular alley that ended in a dead end, the hideout consisted of several wooden boxes and crates stacked a story high. With these were various old pieces of furniture, drapes and containers, giving the place a homey feel. The narrow entryway widened out to form a larger, if slightly cramped, place to hang out in. The area was kept relatively clean and the remote location between two abandoned buildings served as an excellent spot to hide each Alley Cat member's belongings. It was Kiryu's home away from home.

Still miffed at Takumi, Mienshao, Suki and the rest of the world, the Alley Cat leader briskly went into the hideout to deposit Yūji's money, which fortunately wasn't noticed by Takumi. Kiryu wanted to make it home quickly and sleep all weekend, so she wasted no time in going over to the hidden alcove that held most of the Alley Cat funds.

As the teen walked, she suddenly stumbled on something and almost fell over. Catching herself, she turned and looked back. The high buildings cast a huge shadow over the backstreet, but Kiryu could've sworn that she saw the silhouette of the object she tripped on seconds ago. Out of the corner of her eye she caught something else move on top of a tall stack of boxes. She reflexively grabbed Liepard's Burst Heart, trying to make out what was with her in the Alley.

"Hello?" she called out, wondering if one of the fellow members was playing a prank on her. The next movement, closer to the ground this time, revealed that the creature with her was much smaller than a human. Kiryu ran over to where the shadow was, only to find nothing but an empty crate. In spite of herself, the long stretch of darkness in the alley was making Kiryu nervous. At any second, she expected a Raticate to jump on her back and gnaw her face off.

To her left and her right, at the very same time, she saw more movement. Whatever it was, there was more than one. Determined to figure out what was in the hideout, Kiryu slowly backed towards the center of the alley, ready to Burst. Ready for whatever it was to make its move. And finally, it did.

A yellow, sloth-like Pokémon materialized directly in front of her. Kiryu gave a small "eek!" and hopped back a step before realizing what had happened. She scowled at herself for her nervousness and at the Abra for its rude intrusion.

"Hey, this place ain't for you," she stood over the small Psi Pokémon, "get out of here before I kick you-" the psychic type raised its head at Kiryu, eyes still perpetually closed, and zapped her with a weak mental shock. Kiryu stepped backwards in pain from an instant headache.

"Hey, what the f-" as the teen stepped backwards she tripped over something else. Both she and the new creature fell over onto the ground. Kiryu groggily lifted up her throbbing head to see another Psychic type, Ralts, pull itself up off the ground and continue wandering around the alley. Its eyes completely covered by a helmet that was to big for the little guy. Getting seriously peeved, Kiryu reached over to grab the Ralts when her hand was zapped by yet another Pokémon. This one enthusiastically ran three laps around Kiryu at incredible speeds before zooming circles around the alley. Kiryu made out the green fur of an Electrike, the electric dog that literally never ran out of energy.

"Alright, that's enough! You all need to get out of here, now!" Kiryu stood up and crossed her arms authoritatively at the three Pokémon that obviously were not listening to her. The Abra was mindlessly teleporting around the alley, Ralts ran into a pile of three boxes that went toppling onto it, and the Electrike continued to pace back and forth from one side of the alley to the other. When yelling failed, Kiryu reached down grab Liepard's Burst Heart when she felt something land in her hair. The girl screamed and clawed at her own hair, grabbing whatever was tangled inside and tossing it towards the entrance. The Zubat regained its flight mid-toss and flew up to a window rafter, screeching angrily at Kiryu.

"It's a freaking pest invasion!" Kiryu said to herself before raising her voice once more. "What the hell are you all doing here?!"

"Oh, there you are, Crow!"

Kiryu looked back up towards the Alley entrance to see a short kid, young with brown hair and wearing a ridiculous red cape, come walking into the hideout. The Zubat seemed to scream happily (though Kiryu couldn't tell the difference) as it flew down and landed on the kid's shoulder. Accompanying him was a fifth Pokémon, one that had always unnerved Kiryu for the fashion choice of a skull on its head. Regarding the kid, it didn't take Kiryu long to put two and two together.

"Ed, what the hell did you do?" she pointed at the Abra several feet up a stack of boxes.

"Me? I didn't do anything!" the boy responded genuinely. "These guys needed a home, is all," this was not helping to cheer up Kiryu. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms.

"Get your stupid stray Pokémon, pack up your things and get out of here, Edward. How many times do I have to tell you?"

"I told you not to call me that," the kid, two years her junior, responded, "And I'm an Alley Cat, too. You said I could stay here if I wanted to!"

"On the contrary, you are _not_ an Alley Cat, and I said that you should _never_ come here," Kiryu exasperated.

"That's not what the others said," Edward mumbled while his Cubone tried to look threatening, smacking its bone against its palm. Kiryu paid it no attention.

"Yeah, well I'm the leader of the Alley Cats, and I say 'get out.'"

"Ah, come on, Kiryu!" Edward tried to stand as tall as he could and walked over to the girl, placing his arm on her shoulder. She gave an involuntary shudder in response, which Edward seemed to ignore, "The last place I was sleeping at got trashed yesterday. Look, I'll just sleep under my tarp over here," he pointed at a corner of The Alley.

"Yeah, and how did your last ditch get trashed?" Kiryu asked.

"These guys did it, obviously!" Edward immediately answered, pointing at a box that was sliding across the floor on its own, Ralts trapped inside. This revelation was not sweetening the deal for the Alley Cat leader.

"Ah, come on, Kiryu, let the kid play with the big kids," the two looked back to find five other girls walking through the entrance. Despite all that that had happened that day, Kiryu smiled. Her people had arrived.

"Good to see you, sweetie," the leader of the group, a short woman with eastern facial features, wearing her black hair in a bob and a pink sweater, stood on tiptoes and gave Kiryu a peck on the cheek.

"You too, Tula," Kiryu responded before looking back at the large group of Alley Cats. "Why is everyone together?" She asked the nineteen-year-old.

"Had an improv meeting under the bridge," Tula answered in her high-pitched voice, "then we got the rest of our loans back."

"Yeah, sorry that I couldn't make it," Kiryu mumbled. Behind Tula, the rest of the Alley Cats spread out around the backstreet, grabbing their things and chatting.

"Don't worry about it, hon," Tula gave the teen's shoulder a squeeze, "Reika told me that you had a rough week," she referred to another short girl with brown bangs and pale skin, who was currently grabbing her Glaceon's Burst Heart from a salvaged dresser. At Tula's mention of Kiryu's recent experiences, her face fell once more.

"You heard about that, eh? Heard about the Takumi guy?"

"Reika said that the whole school is talking about it," Tula confirmed, "And you're one of the stars of the show."

"Yeah, well, believe it or not, the creep caught up with me again while I was getting away from one of our clients. Challenged me to another battle." Tula looked at the teen hopefully, silently asking if she won the fight. In response Kiryu showed her the nasty bruise on her stomach and the outcome was understood. Tula gave a sympathetic laugh and lead Kiryu over to a couch. "I swear the freak is preying on me," Kiryu continued mournfully.

"From what I've heard, you're not his only target," over to the couch came another woman, Ayame. Tula's partner in crime, this Alley Cat had darker, tan skin, bright red hair in a ponytail and a muscular build. Despite the cold she wore a black crop top shirt, revealing a six-pack. "I've heard word all across the city that there's some vigilante with a Roserade and Froslass Burst. Apparently, he beat the crap out of one of Ben's guys for trying to mug another student," the news of this assault caused Tula to giggle sweetly, and even Kiryu had to crack a smile. At least she wasn't the only one suffering.

"Sounds like things are finally getting interesting at the Academy. Almost makes ya wish you didn't leave the academy, eh Ayame?" Tula chirped. She and Ayame were both dropouts, while the rest of the Alley Cats were still enrolled, and even went to class sometimes. The two of them lived independently in a run-down apartment on the west side of the city. Kiryu longed to join them.

"So… Can I crash here?" The three completely forgot about Edward's presence until he appeared before them, giving his best winning smile. Kiryu shot him a dirty look, but she allowed Tula to make the decision.

"Yeah, sure, you can stay," Tula said, "but you either keep these Pokémon under control or we're keeping them out by force."

"You got it, chief!" Ed shouted before immediately running after the Ralts, who was still trying to navigate the area from under the box.

"Does he have to stay?" Kiryu sighed, sinking down in her seat.

"Aw, does Kiryu not enjoy her admirers?" Tula cooed innocently while Ayame chuckled. "You need to learn how to use them, honey. Keep them on a leash until they break it. Then break their heart in return!"

"You are truly a bastion of relationships, Miss Lynx," Kiryu rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I couldn't get the full amount from Yūji, but I did score this," she took out Mienshao's Burst Heart and tossed it to Tula, "how much do you think we can get off of it?"

" _Ooh,_ Kiryu, finally going deeper in the pool, eh?" Tula teased, "It's about time the Alley Cats get into some real business," Ayame swiped the Burst Heart from her roommate and took a look at it.

"Mienshao, eh? It's rare, for a Sakhaloh Pokémon, but the market is still more interested in foreign 'mons."

"We haven't been on the east side since Ayame's 'unfortunate accident,'" Tula added while Ayame pointed at a nasty scar along her side, "so our information isn't the most up-to-date," Kiryu nodded glumly, as she had hoped to do at least one thing of note for the gang that week. "Do you want us to hold onto it until we get a better number?" Tula asked.

"…Nah, I'll hold onto it," Kiryu decided, taking back Mienshao's Burst Heart. Despite their unfortunate start, Kiryu still felt the impulse to take the Fighting type back. She looked at the light purple stone for a second while Tula picked up one of her bags.

"While you're at it, take the spoils from today," she smiled, handing Kiryu the sack. The teen looked inside to find it full of cash, more than what she had projected earlier.

"Tula, this is great!" Kiryu exclaimed, a rare feeling of genuine pride warming her heart. While she was dealing with petty rivalries and pickpocketing, her Alley Cats had pulled through together.

"It was a pain to get it all, let me tell you. Delcatty and I got in a tough match with some of our customers," Tula released the Normal type, which gave a soft 'mew' and hopped onto her trainer's lap.

"Tell me about it, we are never renting out our services again," Kiryu shook her head.

"Agreed," Ayame and Tula nodded, and the latter pointed at the rest of the group, "Now, I think you have some subjects to address," Kiryu looked at the rest of the Alley Cats and groaned.

"Ugh, I almost forgot," she said, "looks like I won't be sleeping in this weekend."

"It must suck being the leader, eh?" Tula smirked. At times like these, Kiryu wished that the strongest member was the Alley Cat leader, but Tula refused to take the responsibility. Instead, the burden fell on the sixteen-year-old.

"You're free to take over any time," the leader joked.

"I'll think about it," Tula smiled warmly while Ayame scoffed. Kiryu returned the smile before going back to the center of the alley and calling everyone's attention.

"Everybody, listen up!" She yelled. "I'm happy to announce that we have all the funds we need for our big project! I couldn't be prouder of you guys for getting it all together," as the various girls whooped and cheered, Kiryu felt that pride swell in her chest. These really were her people.

"Now, we still have a lot of things to buy, and a lot of things to set up for the party. I need to get Kazurō to let us set things up beforehand, but we'll convince him, one way or another. Tula and Ayame have the drinks handled, don't risk getting caught.

"I'll be here tomorrow to go get some supplies with some of you. We'll also discuss how to keep the Beats away from the house. Have a good night, everybody," the group waved at their leader and began to file out.

"Catch ya later, Kiryu," Ayame and Tula were one of the last ones to leave. As she watched them go, Kiryu's feeling of home slowly changed into feelings of loneliness. Tula, Ayame, Reika and the others would soon be replaced by Chao, Lin and nothing more.

* * *

"No, I thought the book was definitely better," Kiryu and Reika headed through town among a slowly thinning crowd, as they were headed away from the night life and towards their sleepy suburb. For once, Kiryu was about to make it home on time. "How're you and Kaito doing?"

"We're just great, Kiryu!" Reika gushed. "We're going out tomorrow, and he's really excited for the party," the teen nodded, only half-listening to her friend's constant stream of conversation. She was quickly becoming quite forlorn, looking at the approaching suburban houses with their lights out. Her own would be coming up soon.

"Hey, what's going on, ladies?" the two were stopped as a short figure teleported in front of them, causing Reika to cry out in alarm. Kiryu, too worn out to be scared again, only flinched and quickly recovered.

"What was the point of begging to stay at the Alley if you're just going to follow us anyways?!" She asked Edward tiredly.

"Hey Kiryu, I'm gonna head home," Reika said quickly before racing down a different street. She was almost as nonconfrontational as Suki, Kiryu thought. That left her and the kid alone. If she wasn't so tired, Kiryu use the opportunity to make sure that Edward didn't follow her again.

"What do you want, Edward?"

"I told you not to call me that," Edward pouted, "and I was just wondering if you wished to be accompanied to your little shindig, of course!" Kiryu bowed her head and sighed, the boy in the red cape waiting eagerly the entire time for her response.

"No," Kiryu finally answered, "I do not wish to be 'accompanied.' Come to think of it, you aren't even invited to the party in the first place," Edward's face fell. Then the whining began.

"Oh, come on, Kiryu, after all I've done for your friends, you won't even let me join the Alley Cats anyways, and-"

"Alright, alright," Kiryu had dealt with too much to hold out against the kid, "If you can bring something to the party, maybe we'll let you in," she was apparently putting Edward on an emotional rollercoaster as his face lit up once again. Is this what Tula was talking about earlier? Because it felt like _she_ was the one being dragged by a leash.

"Oh, sweet! Thanks, Kiryu! What do you need me to get for you? I am a master thief, ruler of the shadows! Anything you need, I will bring for you!" the boy held his cape over his face, trying to look impressive. His woman was just confused.

"What? No, I meant, like, an entrée or something."

"Oh, I've got it!" Edward said, perking up. "The Master Thief is also a Master Battler! Let me show that 'Takumi' character how a real Burst Warrior fights!"

"Please, do _not_ do that," Kiryu immediately ordered, "that guy already knows about the Alley Cats, the last thing I need is to be caught sending some street kid to beat up a teacher," in actuality, the thought of a fourteen-year-old kid challenging Takumi for "m'lady" was even more embarrassing than her last two fights with the man. Even worse if the kid somehow pulled it off and won. "Are we clear, kid? Do not battle Takumi, do not speak to him, don't do anything with that guy."

"Yeah, I knew you wouldn't go for that," Edward said ruefully. "I won't battle him, don't worry about it. You're no fun, though."

"Whatever," Kiryu dismissed, "I've got to get home. You better not break anything tonight at the Alley, or there'll be hell to pay."

"Understood, chief!" Edward gave her a salute and suddenly disappeared from sight. Kiryu finished the journey across the street, left with nothing but an empty house and the feeling that the Master Thief would somehow succeed at making her life even worse.

* * *

 **Kiryu Camilla was created by MewMewExorcist (AKA XxMewbladexX), founder and original leader of PokePlayers, on September 21st, 2012. Kiryu, or "Kirsten" as she was later called, was one of the original RéBURST characters and, in my opinion, one of the most consistent. Her original portrayal is extremely close with my own, as a spunky, street-smart adolescent. The only major change to her personality is the sheer amount of teen angst that I've dumped on her, though not without reason for it. I've tried to at least split her time brooding evenly with moments of her original, confident attitude, and I hope that I've been able to accurately showcase both.**

 **She played a major role in the plot of the RP until about one half to two thirds of the way through, when Mewblade stopped posting as frequently. Like most of Mewblade's OCs, she was one of the best in the original story, so I've made her one of the main characters of my retelling. This time, she'll be taking that main role to the finish. If you ever end up reading this, Mew, I hope that you've enjoyed your character's shenanigans so far.**

 **Fun Fact: We once had a strange auction-like event in which Mewblade gave various users permission to use her old characters. I took Kiryu Camilla, from my favorite RP on the forum. So technically, Kiryu is the only character that I'm "legally" allowed to use...**

 **I was a bit worried about this chapter, but I think that it ended up really coming together in post-production. Tune in next time to hear about the origins of our second main character, whoever that could be.**


	4. Behind Blue Eyes

The Beats had scored big. After a long weekend of booze, babes and belligerent behavior, the gang was now strolling through the southwest side of town. Having been built the same time as the Winterspring suburbs, this section consisted of expensive houses and mansions built in a modern style. It appealed to the rich that had only recently moved to the now-popular city, as well as the few Old Winterspring families that had rejected Sakhaloh tradition in favor of the modernization of the area. The son of one such family, the Uendo dynasty, was leading the Burst Beats back to their hideout.

"Right this way, ladies," Ben cordially invited two wanton gals to a rather large two-story manor while two of his lackeys opened the front doors to let their leader inside. The seemingly empty foyer consisted of several decorative shelves and tables along the walls. The ceiling extended to a second-floor balcony, complete with chandelier hanging from the center. Ben smoothly put his arm around one girl's shoulder, fully prepared to, in layman's terms, "score." The gang leader's plans were then rudely interrupted.

"I must say, your aunt has quite the collection of plates," came a bemused voice from the second floor. Ben looked upwards in surprise to find a familiar Froslass Burst leaning on the balcony, quietly looking over a glass cabinet showcasing an entire set of elemental plates. "Are they Sinnoh originals?"

"What the hell are you doing in my house?! You don't have permission to be here!" Ben shouted, forgetting about and roughly pushing away his two female companions. The rest of the gang quickly crowded around the entrance to the house to spectate.

"Your uncle posed the same question," Takumi responded coolly, leaning back on the handrail while still floating in midair, "when I informed him about your recent actions."

"Wait, you talked to-" Ben spluttered, taken aback by the professor's thoroughness, "Look, this is family property and, you're stepping on Burst Beat territory! Get lost before I kick you out!"

"Save yourself the embarrassment," Takumi yawned. "We've battled, I already know your skills are equal to your moral fiber," the gang leader seethed underneath the Froslass Burst, taking out his own orange Burst Heart. This pompous snitch wasn't going to get the jump on him this time.

"Last chance, teach," Ben yelled, "Get out of here now and let my gang be before there's hell to pay!" several of Ben's lackeys smirked and cheered their leader on, while others looked warily Takumi, the last encounter between Ben and the man fresh in their minds. The leader, himself, was quite determined to make up for his lost reputation.

"The pathetic schoolyard mob that you call a gang is an insult to Burst Warriors everywhere, and I intend to stop it," Takumi said, casually floating to the center of the room, "but by all means, try and throw me out, weakling."

No further prompting was needed. Ben quickly Bursted with his Charizard and roared ferociously at the floating intruder. His battle cry doubled as his opening attack, and the fire type blasted a powerful Flamethrower upwards at Takumi. The vigilante calmly, yet swiftly floated to the side to avoid the stream of fire, and it scorched the ceiling above.

Seeing the attack fail, Ben's next move was to shoot into the air after his opponent. The giant lizard's wings propelled him off the ground and towards the Ice type, while his mouth became encased in a Fire Fang attack. Without missing a beat, Takumi turned and loosed a blast of Icy Wind from the flaps of his kimono. The attack hit Ben straight in the face, extinguishing his flaming maw and causing him to miss his target. He clumsily flew past Takumi, towards the top of the building, and the Froslass Burst used his other arm to shoot an Ice Beam at his retreating opponent. The foyer was large, but not large enough for Ben to dodge the ray, and he was quickly propelled by the Ice Beam into the chandelier. The gang leader hung there, cold and dazed. Takumi scoffed and looked down on the rest of Ben's group.

"Now, as for the rest of you-" the professor started, but was quickly cut off by another roar from his adversary. Far from beaten, the teen launched himself from the chandelier onto Takumi, his two wings glowing bright in a double Wing Attack. Caught off-guard, Takumi wasn't quick enough to dodge and soon found himself buffeted by the attack and grappling with the Flame Pokémon in the air.

Much larger than the Ice type, Ben kept Takumi locked in place with one arm and tried to claw at his face with the other. He grinned wickedly as his fist connected with the side of Takumi's head, doing damage even without a move to back it up. However, just as he was ready to pull Takumi to the ground, the Snow Land Pokémon turned the tables with a swift Headbutt to the dragon's lower jaw. Seeing stars, Ben loosened his grip and felt himself fall towards the floor. In that split second, Takumi broke free of the Charizard Burst's grasp and delivered a Wake-Up Slap, hitting him multiple times across the face and ending with a stinging backhand. The final hit accelerated Ben towards the ground and the dragon landed with a mighty crash, splintering the wood floor beneath him.

Be it strength, anger or a sheer unwillingness to lose face, Ben and his Charizard miraculously didn't Unburst upon landing. Takumi held his position under the chandelier, eyeing the tough student cautiously while several jagged Ice Shards appeared above his hand. Extremely battered, the Fire type Burst flipped over and dragged himself onto his hands and knees.

"It's not… Over yet," Ben breathed, the fire of battle still alive in his eyes. He pointed a claw at the Froslass Burst, directing his followers. "Tag out, let's get 'em, boys!" He managed to call.

"Uh, Ben, I think it's time you stop this," came the voice of Hideji.

"What?" Ben asked between deep breaths, confused and annoyed. "Burst Beats, I said 'get him!'" The teen didn't realize that company had arrived while he was fighting.

"Sonny, I think you better listen to yer friend," said an accented voice behind the Charizard Burst. He whirled around to face a thick-mustached police officer looking at him sternly. At the entrance, the Burst Beat members were all now accompanied by their own officer. Several more members of law enforcement, as well as their state-mandated Machops, stood outside the manor near their police cars.

"A tad late, officer," Takumi remarked, finally floating down from his perch. Ben quickly realized the situation he was in and proceeded to Unburst and nervously explain himself.

"Oh, uh, Mr. Officer, this isn't… This man had snuck into my house," the large, muscular teen tried to act small and innocent, causing the leader to smile wryly.

"Yer in a lot o' trouble, Mr. Uendo," he put a hand on Ben's shoulder, "Startin' with trespassing on yer uncle's property!"

"Oh, come on!" Ben quickly angered again, "It's a family residence!"

"I've taken the liberty of checking some of the household," Takumi spoke up, Unbursted on the ground, "you'll find several illegal and stolen items that will provide additional charges on these delinquents, should they get out of trespassing," the officer nodded while his squad began filing out, detaining each Burst Beat member.

"Yep, thanks for tellin' us about this place. We've been tryin' to find out about these new gangs fer awhile now," the man looked at the cracked floor and blackened ceiling, "though the battlin' might've been a wee bit unnecessary."

"Self-defense," Takumi answered simply, handing over his copy of the search warrant. "I had already warned this student to stop his actions," Ben stiffened and clenched his teeth, still held by the officer, "yet he seemed intent on bragging about his 'streetwalking' ideas in public. Something had to be done."

"Whatever ye' say," responded the officer, shrugging. He handed over the detainee to an associate. "Alrighty, best come with us, got processin' work to fill," he told Takumi, who agreed silently.

However, as Ben began to be led away from the teacher, he gained a sudden burst of energy. Pulling out of the enforcement's grip, he rushed over to Takumi. On level ground, he towered a couple inches over the black-haired man.

"I'll get you back for this, Takumi," he threatened, leaning over the professor, "you and that bitch that ratted me out. You'd better watch your back."

"Consider it a waste of my time," Takumi, looking utterly uninterested, fingered his scarf and turned away as the officers got ahold of Ben. He didn't care to give his student a second glance.

* * *

"What was he like on the way back?" the question was poised to Suki. On a chilly Monday morning, she sat in the Dean's quarters, a small building right next, but not connected, to the main academy. She currently sat in a chair behind the receptionist's desk. Two doors that lead to a conference area and the Dean's office were off to the side. Next to her was her co-worker, fellow receptionist and foreigner Lucy Weller. The two were currently discussing Suki's dangerous predicament in the park two Fridays ago. She usually kept quiet during the workday, but with all the controversy about the new P.E. teacher, Suki felt obliged to tell someone about her experience.

"About the same, I guess," Suki answered quietly, nibbling on a breakfast muffin, "I think he was a little irritated that I wanted an escort. He told me that he wouldn't have helped, if he wasn't in the middle of training already."

"What a douche!" Lucy laughed, brown hair shaking over her shoulders. "No wonder everyone hates him."

"I was just lucky, I guess," Suki replied, staring at her lap. The two stopped to acknowledge three professors exiting the Dean's office, leaving quickly as a group. 7:45, almost time for the first classes to begin. Lucy then gave a sly grin and picked up a copy of the morning's paper, sitting on a stack of paperwork.

"I take it you were the anonymous source, then?" she held the cover up, revealing the large bold title _Unknown Sentinel Leads Police Raid on Violent Gang Lair._

"Oh, dear!" Suki exclaimed, taking the paper and looking over the story. The article mentioned an anonymous source that told the "unknown vigilante" about Ben's hideout. Suki skimmed through it with trembling hands, feeling vulnerable and exposed at the very mention of herself, anonymous though it was.

"Yeah, I heard that the Uendo kid was asking people to join his gang, bragging about 'making things professional' or something stupid like that," Lucy said, leaning back in her chair.

"He asked me to join his group," Suki admitted miserably, "and told me all about what he was doing, for some reason."

"Asked you, did he?" Lucy mumbled.

"After Kiryu attacked, I guess I just had crime on the mind, I mentioned it to him."

"What did he say?"

"He just asked about where their meet-up place was. I didn't mean for all this to happen," Suki finished feebly, putting her head in her hands.

"Relax, will ya?" Lucy rolled her eyes, "It served him right for talking so loud about it. This entire thing is completely blown out of proportion. There's barely any _real_ crime in most of Winterspring."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Suki sighed. Lucy had a point; if the Burst Beats and Alley Cats were the most "violent gang," in the area, then there was little to worry about.

"Got the privilege of being chosen by Ben, you should be flattered," Lucy added somewhat bitingly, causing Suki to break from her stupor and try to put herself back together. Finally, she spoke again, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"Hey, I there's a big reveal ceremony down by the docks," she looked over at Lucy. "After work, would you want to go check it out? Maybe stop by the shops and-"

"Nah," Lucy yawned immediately, not looking up from the magazine she had picked up, "I'm going with friends East Side to go thrift shopping. Should be fun!"

"I see…" Suki responded rather glumly.

"Why, did you get roped into another stupid team-building exercise?" Lucy wondered, looking over at her fellow secretary.

"N-no," Suki said meekly, "I just thought we could go as, well, friends-" as she spoke, Lucy glanced at the door just in time to spot the subject of their conversation enter the building. She pushed Suki around to see the man approach, and the two immediately shut up before partially ducking under the counter, wondering if he had heard anything.

Takumi had his long coat buttoned tightly and his scarf wrapped fully around his neck to deal with the frosty morning. Noticeable bags hung under his eyes and the scent of coffee emanated from a very uncharacteristic thermos: a smiling Combee peeked out from between the fingers holding it. The teacher slowly plodded over to the Dean's office, looking quite exhausted and apparently oblivious to the two women following his every move. Finally, the actual receptionist on duty tried to get his attention.

"Uh, excuse me, sir, do you have an appointment?" Lucy asked professionally, only to be completely ignored. Takumi remained stone-faced as he crossed the room, opened the Dean's door and entered without a word.

"I swear, nobody takes me seriously around here," Lucy pouted, but the two quickly shut up as voices began to filter from behind the closed door. The two looked around the empty room, then at each other, and scooted their chairs closer to the side, listening to the conversation.

...

"Good morning, Mr. Genji," Dean Tamura looked up from his computer to greet Takumi, who fell into the wooden chair in front of the desk. The head of the RéBURST academy was a stocky, balding man in a tweed jacket and bifocals. Though he was once a Burst Warrior of moderate renown, it was of common opinion that he gained his job through his bureaucratic expertise over battling skill or, to some, administrative prowess.

"I apologize for my disheveled condition," Takumi bowed his head, "my work at the precinct ended up taking longer than expected," at this, the administrator began looking somewhat uncomfortable.

"Yes, well, that's part of the reason that I called you in, Mr. Genji," Takumi became suddenly alert, looking up at the Dean suspiciously. "I… Understand that you've been getting into conflict with some of our students. Acting as overseer and getting into street-fights, and whatnot?" he ended on an awkward question.

"Have I done anything illegal?" asked Takumi calmly, now quite awake.

"Well, no, I suppose that you haven't," the Dean admitted.

"And I assume that you've read the morning paper?" Takumi immediately continued. When the Dean nodded, Takumi leaned back in his chair, saying forcefully, "Then there is no problem here. I've effectively eradicated one half of the two groups of miscreants that people seem so worried about, all in a day's training."

"Mr. Genji, please," Takumi's boss pleaded, holding out his hand get a word in, "the community very much appreciates the work that you've done so far, but some of your fellow co-workers believe that it's to the detriment of the students."

"Oh?" asked Takumi, raising his eyebrows in mock surprise.

"Yes," the Dean answered seriously, "Insulting and fighting some of our student-base, even if the Burst Battles were official, could potentially belittle or discourage them. Frankly, it doesn't look good for our image, either."

"Ah, so that's what this is about," Takumi sighed, to the Dean's confusion. "Mr. Tamura, my training outside of this academy is for my own benefit. I train to personally become stronger, and any side effects are purely incidental."

"See, that's the kind of thing I'm worried about," responded the Dean. "The students do not respond well to such a… Self-serving attitude, nor do they appreciate any prying on their social life by us."

"The students should be grateful that I'm passing my father's teachings onto them," Takumi said evenly, "his lessons would bring insight to their secular, urbanized lifestyles."

"That's the kind of talk that spawned this concern in our faculty, you know," Tamura pointed out.

"Oh really?" the professor asked, looking curious. "Which teachers?"

"You know I'm not at liberty to say that."

"I believe I mentioned in my interview that it is my greatest desire to better myself in combat," Takumi reminded the official. "Showcasing that desire to your students can only do them good."

"Mr. Genji, just remember who your actions reflect on," the Dean implored, slouching in resignation, "I don't want things to turn south and hurt this Academy."

"You underestimate my abilities," Takumi snapped. "Don't worry, though. Your precious 'image' will find a way to survive," at that moment, the courtyard bell rang. Takumi quickly stood up and marched out of the office, leaving a stunned silence between the two spying secretaries.

* * *

Later that day, Suki left her own desk and headed to the teacher's lounge for her break. Even at a prestigious, private academy, the rinky-dink refuge held true to the cliché of being small, cramped and uncomfortable. Suki sat alone at the only window in the lounge and stared outside while a few other professors shuffled around the area. The secretary planned her evening, which would seem to consist, yet again, of a walk around town with her Pokémon. Though her Ninetales was getting tired of this same routine, so Suki might not have any company at all this time around. The woman leaned into her hands and began daydreaming, only vaguely aware of the conversation between two teachers nearby.

"…The graduating class? Not much to them, I'd say," an older professor of various Pokémon-related classes continued. He was speaking to the Psychology teacher.

"You don't think so?"

"Nope. Sure, some of them are skilled, but there are no stand-outs. There's usually at least one that's talented enough to rise above the rest, but not this year."

"That's a shame. Why do you think that is?"

"Part of it is the vetting process," he answered. "We didn't let just anyone in Sakhaloh join for reduced tuition. During that time, we had the best year of my career. You weren't hired yet, but it was the year of Oda Nakagawa and Miko Camilla. Had 'em both in my Type Theory course," the bearded man chuckled. "Miko was the smartest thing you could imagine, and you could just feel the ambition of Nakagawa when he entered the room."

"Miko Camilla, the same winner of the 1986 RéBURST nationals?" Suki was pulled into the conversation by the now-recognizable Sinnoh accent of Takumi. She hadn't noticed him mingling with the other professors in the lounge, and by the looks on their faces, neither did the two other teachers. In fact, the looks on their faces were quite noticeably surprised and suspicious. Takumi stood there with a waiting expression until they answered his question.

"Yes, the same," the older man finally replied, looking reluctant to speak to his young colleague.

"At the age of eighteen, right? Quite an achievement, even for a small region like Sakhaloh," Takumi continued thoughtfully.

"You've studied contemporary Burst Warriors?"

"I find it important to read up on any and all Burst Warriors of renown," Takumi confirmed, "She's a bit of an obscure character, but I've watched the championship recordings from that year. I never knew she was an Academy alumni, though."

"Hm," was the only response from the other two teachers, who seemed ready to walk away. Takumi seemingly wasn't taking the hint.

"After a victory at such a young age, I don't recall her doing much of note afterwards," he pondered.

"She's dead," the bearded teacher stated bluntly. The stoic vigilante actually looked mildly surprised.

"Really, now? That's a pity."

"You'd be _very_ familiar with her daughter, though," spoke up the Psychology professor, stepping between the other two. To Suki, she was looking rather confrontational. The secretary unconsciously began biting her nail.

"Did you say something?" Takumi asked calmly.

"Kiryu Camilla, her daughter," elaborated the other teacher, "it's common knowledge that you two don't get along."

"I treat her like the rest of the delinquents in my class."

"Out of class, too," the older man joined in, "we've heard all about your fighting with several students off-campus."

Takumi shrugged, "Only a part of my training. My actions also serve those who abuse their gift well," the other two began to speak up again, but the white-coated Burst Warrior waved his hand in dismissal. "Frankly, though, I have no time or motivation to explain myself to you. You're free to sit in during one of my lectures," Takumi finished and turned away, allowing Suki to breathe a sigh of relief. Things had not gotten any more aggressive. For only a moment.

"Lectures of B.S.," the Psychology teacher crudely mumbled, in a bid for the last word. This caused Takumi to stop dead in his tracks, and slowly turn around.

"If you have a problem with my teaching methods, I suggest you speak now," he said quietly. Deathly quiet.

"If your methods involve picking fights with the student base, then I do have a problem," proclaimed the teacher.

"And have you brought those problems up with Dean Tamura?" Takumi asked knowingly, looking directly at the Psychology professor. She began to answer defiantly, then realized the true intent of the man's query.

"Well, I… Possibly…" she was forced to stop mid-sentence. To her luck, her co-worker stepped in to continue the conflict.

"Mr. Genji, I fail to see what value the students are receiving from your street-fighting."

"The main benefit is my own," Takumi maintained his point from earlier, when speaking to the Dean. As the older professor shook his head in disapproval, Takumi then added to it, "and the students can learn much from the defeat of weaklings that abuse their gift."

"That seems to be all that they're learning from you," quipped the older teacher.

"Yes, and? Is there any point to your hostile attitudes?" asked Takumi tiredly.

"As a matter of fact," the female professor said, "we have been talking about your lectures, and believe that your ideas are irrelevant," she paused, but Takumi awaited further explanation. "Your talk of spiritual 'bonds' and 'links' between Pokémon have no academic value to them."

"Really, now? What a bland perspective," the P.E. teacher commented lightly.

"As long as a Burst Warrior has the gift of Bursting, and a modicum of respect with their Pokémon, the two can work together freely, within physical limitation," her colleague philosophized, undeterred.

"you realize that not everything is rooted in the physical world," Takumi returned, looking increasingly annoyed. "Having a strong spiritual bond with your Pokémon is a time-honored ideal, one that my father was a vehement believer of."

"But in that list of contemporary Burst Warriors, not many of them have been doing much preaching, have they?" retorted the psychology professor triumphantly. Takumi stood to continue the feud, but for once it was his turn to be surprised by an unexpected entrance.

"Well, you know, my grandfather always told his kids to bond with their Pokémon," Suki chimed in meekly. Behind that unsure tone, however, was a feeling of pride. Pride for her grandfather, Sugawara Harmoni, founder of RéBURST Academy.

"He, well, always helped his family that could Burst, and I think he was very knowledgeable… just so you know," Suki petered out quickly. Takumi had, at first, turned to this third party with a look of irritation, only to discover that it was actually on his side. He turned back to his two dissenters, who seemed at a loss for words, being contradicted by their employer's founding father.

"Well then, there you have it," Takumi concluded firmly. "And on that note, I hope at that at least one person has found this debate constructive," he turned with a flourish and exited the room. The two speechless teachers eventually followed, sneaking an angry glare at Suki on the way out. Feeling more self-conscious than ever, she sat back down and returned to her place among the wallflowers.

* * *

It had not occurred to the student body of RéBURST Academy that the gym bleachers were unsuitable desks, until they were forced to take a written test on them. Such was par for the course in Takumi's Physical Education class. Getting to battle each other was now put on hold for weekly tests on basic strategy and technique. Whether the poor scores were due to a lack of knowledge, low-effort or the metal ridges of the bleachers making handwriting unreadable, was up for debate.

Throughout each exam, Takumi was sure to be pacing the room, searching and commenting on the smallest of disciplinary matters.

"Five points off this test, Miss Sato. If I hear another word out of you, your will fail utterly."

"Mr. Phillips, if I see you glance at another paper once more, you and your Lilligant will be assigned with Wataru and Staraptor."

"Miss Camilla, phone, now."

Kiryu groaned softly and thrust her cell phone in Takumi's face. Her tormentor didn't even flinch, and he took the phone before continuing to pace the length of the gym. Kiryu proceeded to flip him the obligatory bird, much to the amusement of half the class, who had grown used to these shenanigans. The witty comments and vulgar jokes at the expense of their instructor was the only thing keeping Kiryu, her friends and the rest of the class sane during the strenuous battle practice and bored-to-tears lectures.

That said, Takumi's negative effect on class was nothing compared to his effect on the streets. Kiryu had had not personally seen the meddling vigilante outside of school since their battle in the park, but his presence was felt across the city. Alley Cat member Natsume went out to spy on the Beatniks and was found the next morning paralyzed by a Stun Spore attack. Ayame and Tula had barely escaped being hunted down like animals when they pilfered the sound system for the upcoming party. According to Tula, herself, the seedier east side of town was also feeling the pain from this new menace. It had all culminated in the Burst Beat Bust a few days ago that left the Alley Cats as the sole Academy gang, something to celebrate if not for the Takumi-related circumstances surrounding it.

Between dealing with Takumi, barely passing in school, preparing for the party and keeping Chao and Lin off her back, Kiryu was feeling just a little overworked. She ignored the second half of the quiz and turned it in unfinished. After class, the teen let Ivy go ahead while she went to retrieve her phone from the nutty professor.

"You are to refrain from making derogatory comments about me and my grandmother, even on cyberspace, Miss Camilla," Takumi told her as she retrieved the device, referring to the text conversation between Kiryu and Ayame that he had so rudely interrupted.

"Whatever," Kiryu responded, uninterested in starting something without an audience to see it.

"You know, I thought that you'd be happier," Takumi sarcastically called as Kiryu walked away, "of becoming the top dog in the landfill," the surprisingly inflammatory comment spurred the teen back into action.

"Taking out the Beatniks was our job," she snapped back, "It was supposed to be between us and them."

"How terrible of me to steal such a prestigious glory," Takumi replied flatly. Kiryu let him have his fun, wondering whether or not to unleash the newest weapon in her verbal arsenal. In the end, she decided to give it a try.

"I hope you're satisfied with yourself, cause the Dean sure isn't."

"Hm?" Takumi looked at her dubiously.

"Word on the street is that Tamura doesn't want his faculty beating up students in the paper," Kiryu explained. "Who would've guessed? It wouldn't be pretty if some students got a few jealous teachers to look into things, would it?" for a second, the girl caught a flicker of her own burning hatred register in Takumi's eyes.

"Proceed to your next class, Miss Camilla," the professor ordered coldly, and Kiryu gladly did so, leaving the gym with a sly wink. Takumi stood there, deep in thought for a second, before shaking his head and leaving shortly afterwards.

* * *

Halfway to the room with the copy machine, Takumi heard his name being called down the hallway. He looked back to see the lobby receptionist trying to catch up with his long strides. He rolled his eyes and waited for her approach.

"Excuse, Mr. Genji," Suki said cordially. Unenhanced by the heat of the argument in the staff lounge, her voice had reverted to its normal volume, and Takumi had to turn his head to be able to hear her.

"Yes, Miss… Harmoni," he paused to remember her name.

"Well, um," Suki looked down at her feet, trying to find the words. "I…" Takumi slowly tapped his foot with impatience, which only made the secretary even more flustered. "I, er, just wanted to say that I agree with what you had said about having a strong link with your Pokémon. I… Think that grandpa would've approved," Takumi's face actually seemed to light up, or at least turn a weaker shade of dark, at the compliment.

"Is that so?" the brown-eyed man commented. "Well, even I must commend Sugawara for his goal of educating young Burst Warriors, even if the long-term effects are undesirable."

"…Right," Suki nodded obliviously.

"Was he a mentor to you or was he too old to tutor you directly?" asked Takumi. Suki was starting to feel that his interest in her was growing with this new information. Unfortunately…

"Actually, he died the year that I was born. Not only that, but… I'm not a Burst Warrior," she admitted. She could practically see the regard for her drain from Takumi's body.

"That's right, he died two decades ago," he muttered, looking back down the hallway, away from Suki.

"I… Just thought I'd let you know, though," Suki murmured. The two adults stood in front of each other awkwardly for a short eternity, then Takumi turned and continued without a goodbye. He must've had somewhere important to be, Suki told herself.

* * *

Takumi leaned on the lounge wall, watching the coffee maker brew and preparing for another long day. Upon hearing the approach of several angry footsteps, he glanced over to see his favorite coworkers approaching.

"For god sake, not this again," he sighed, closing his eyes in exasperation.

"Takumi!" the old professor was flanked by the psychology teacher and a new face, a science instructor. Together they made a small middle-aged pack of wolves out for blood. "We want to have a word with you!"

"What do you want this time?" Takumi demanded softly, an irritated hiss in his voice.

"We've been hearing complaints from students all throughout the school about your excuse for a class," the lead teacher huffed, his two compatriots nodding in support. Takumi glared at the group, shaking his head in disgust.

"Have you really dwelled on this witch hunt for over a week?" he questioned, breaking the feelings of confidence between his colleagues. "I'm afraid that the whining of Miss Camilla and her lackeys holds little weight in this discussion."

"It's not just Camilla," the psychology teacher shot back, surfacing a confused look from Takumi, "several students have complained about your ramblings and unnecessary strictness."

"Dismissing the concerns of your class as 'whining' is an insult to our student-base!" accused the lead professor.

"Is this slander leading to anything… Or are you simply too incensed that my battling skills are superior to yours?" as soon as it was said, the older man's face turned a shade of red. The other two looked at each other self-consciously.

"Well, I never…" the bearded man exclaimed, looking down at the ground.

"We would like an explanation," the biology professor picked it up, "as to why is there such a strong backlash from students?" Their target was happy to oblige.

"Burst Warrior training requires an intense level of discipline," Takumi expounded. "Its how I was trained, and it is how I will share those teachings."

"You're sharing nothing," spat the psychology instructor, "the students tell us that they aren't learning anything from your indulgent lectures."

"That is because they refuse to _listen._ "

"That says more about your own expertise than anything else," the science professor jabbed.

"I…" Takumi began, looking over at the single lounge window, "This… This is nonsense," he growled, but the group pressed forward, waving his attention back to them.

"Don't just dismiss us, don't you care at all about the Academy?!"

"He said it himself, he's only here to feel good about himself through street fights."

"You only came here to be superior to us, and we've had enough!"

"You should be grateful!" Takumi suddenly shouted. With lightning speed, he grabbed the lead teacher by his collar and held the shorter man off the floor. The other two stepped back in alarm. "You should _all_ be grateful that I'd dare share the secrets of my training with a weakling like you!" The man in his grasp struggled at the grip, looking down in panic and sweating profusely. The four stood in the room in horror-filled silence, until it was mercifully broken by the ring of the bell. The black-haired Burst Warrior let the man fall to the ground, and watched him flounder for a moment, gasping for air. With a swipe of his coat, Takumi beat a hasty retreat from the room before anything more could be said.

* * *

Tomorrow would be the big night. Almost everything was prepared. Money was funded, music was downloaded, things would be set up the Friday night before, and the Alley Cat shindig was ready to roll. Kiryu felt ready to go, ready to let loose and show her best friend a good time, maybe gain a new Alley Cat member in the process. And if one good thing came from He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, it was the guarantee that Ben and his meatheads wouldn't be unexpected party-crashers, since they weren't being released until after the weekend.

She stood in the hallway advertising the big event with Reika and the girl of the night herself, Ivy. They were currently taking questions like real celebrities from a small crowd, representing only a fraction of the people invited.

"What time should we show up?" asked one teen.

"Who cares?" came Kiryu's answer, "but if you get there too early, you better be ready to help us with the crap-ton of chairs we're setting out."

"Will Shūzō's crew be there?"

"Against my wishes," she admitted ruefully, "that stupid group of stoners always end up stinking up the place when they're invited. Any other concerns?"

"Is this really all necessary?" the third question came from Ivy, who was supposed to be helping plug the event. Why was she being so difficult?

"Yes, it's all necessary," Kiryu said in a coddling voice, "the Alley Cats always go all-out when it comes to partying! And you aren't even helping to set it all up tonight, so what's your problem?"

"But do we need all of this… Fanfare, to have fun?" Ivy inquired, making Kiryu snicker.

"Now you're starting to sound like Lin," the teen spoke in a mocking impersonation of her sister, _"I just want to go read my book like the wet blanket I am!"_ The crowd that knew of Kiryu's sister laughed at the accurate impression.

"Heh, yeah, don't want to sound like that," Ivy laughed along halfheartedly, but Kiryu's attention was diverted to the scattering of her little group in the presence of an aggravated-looking Mr. Genji. The teen's heart sank at the mere sight of him. He had come from the hallway that led to the teacher's lounge.

"Tell me what's going on here," he demanded loudly, glaring directly at Kiryu. She hadn't seen him this peeved before, but her insight was clouded by her own anger at the appearance of the man.

"None of your business, you creep," she shot back, sick of his gravitation toward mischief. Takumi continued to look daggers at the teen, seemingly out for blood.

"What did I just overhear you talking about?" he interrogated.

"Nothing. Why don't you get off my back for once, okay?" Kiryu said swiftly. For whatever reason, his attitude was worse than ever today. Kiryu was sick of his meddling. When the teacher continued to block the hallway, she added, "Don't you have some class to go on an ego-trip with?" this seemed to make him even more restless. The teen would've been satisfied at his flustered state if she wasn't so sick of him in general.

"Miss Camilla, I am _not_ here to satisfy my ego."

"Whatever, I don't freakin' care!" Kiryu blurted in exasperation, anger suddenly boiling over, "just stop attacking everything I do!"

"You would blend in better if you didn't insist on being such a brat in my class," was Takumi's response.

"And listen to a stupid lecture on hippie spiritualism," Kiryu ridiculed, Takumi's brow furrowing even more.

"My lectures-"

"Just back. **Off!** " Kiryu shouted, standing straight up to get in Takumi's face. Her own fire was reflected in his brown eyes, and the older Burst Warrior held her gaze, seeming to think deeply on his next move. Kiryu prayed that he'd throw the first punch, getting him fired from the Academy immediately, after all of the controversy she had helped create.

The battle of pride left the area in a tension-filled state of limbo. Kiryu wondered if her friends could hear her heart beating so loudly and quickly. She wouldn't break. It was up to her adversary as to what would happen next.

In the end, it was Takumi who conceded, dropping the stare and apparently deciding not to do whatever he was thinking. He shut his eyes and turned back down the hallway, allowing Kiryu to glance back at the remaining two in the group, a petrified Ivy and Reika. Takumi's footsteps faded away, leaving the three alone again. The late bell broke their suspended state of animation.

"What a complete jerk!" Reika nervously giggled as Ivy let out a deep sigh of relief. On Kiryu's part, though she had won the staring contest, the sense of dread hadn't left her. Added to it was the marathon-like tiredness that hit her when the adrenaline of the moment wore off.

"I can't believe he's a teacher," Ivy, lamented, previously a reluctant defender of the man. The three headed towards their next class, trying to get out of the claustrophobic hallways that still held the suspense of the situation.

"At least he didn't catch on to the party," Reika said optimistically, but Kiryu couldn't help but acknowledge the dread, like rocks in her stomach.

"I have a bad feeling about Saturday night," the Alley Cat leader prophesized ominously.

"What do you mean?" Reika asked.

"I don't know, but that man is a soulless void with no thoughts or remorse for anyone but himself." And he'll find some way to mess things up for her once again.

* * *

A particular apartment complex was built a short walking distance away from the academy hill, making it a popular rental for foreign students living off-campus. Nothing was special in its construction, consisting of a small café on the first floor and many dorm-like rooms for the residents above. Its position on the northern hillside of the city once gave it a far-reaching view that included the dockyards, once barely visible on the horizon, unloading passengers and cargo from the bay. As that same city literally grew upwards, with multi-story buildings and several skyscrapers, that view of the ocean was soon lost from the windows of the complex.

That was the view that Takumi had from his own room. A view of Winterspring City in all its glory, often shining its artificial light through the window when he was trying to sleep. But if he leaned halfway out of his third story windowsill and craned his neck to the left, he could see the Academy standing proudly on its perch, and the lush forest just behind it, so that was nice.

He sat at his desk in the dark room, not bothering to turn on a light once the red sun fell early behind the city skyline. Having just finished a disgusting amount of paperwork for his job, he leaned back on two chair legs and put his feet up on the wooden desk, absentmindedly shuffling his two Burst Hearts in his hand. Anything to calm him down after the events earlier in the day. The unruly students and attacks on his character by his own co-workers.

His phone buzzed on the desk, breaking him from his doldrums, and Takumi cringed at the caller I.D. He let the phone ring almost to its end, debating whether or not to bother picking it up. His common sense did not, in fact, get the best of him, and he answered the call. Putting the phone to his ear and hoping that the I.D. was mistaken, he greeted, "Hello?"

"…HEEEY, Takumi!" an overly-loud voice calling his name. Takumi audibly groaned.

"What do you want, Clove?" he used a voice of deep loathing, one that he saved solely for Clover Fields, the most annoying man he had ever met.

"Don't you know? Just calling to see how my best buddy is doing!" came the eager response.

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Nope! Why do you think I'm calling you?" Takumi silently prayed prayed for strength to deal with the ultimate thorn in his side. During his freshmen year, when the imbecil loudly dragged his desk across the room to connect it with his in Calculus, the then-eighteen-year-old Takumi told Clove, in no uncertain terms, that he would never bother communicating with him. Four years later… Here they were.

"Did you get my gift, yet? Did you?" Clove asked earnestly. Takumi glowered at the Combee thermos sitting on his nightstand.

"I did," Takumi confirmed. "Where did you get such a ridiculous piece of junk?"

"It's great, isn't it?" Clove gushed. "I grabbed it at a gift shop in Floaroma."

"Wait, what are you doing in Floaroma town?" Takumi had last heard that his friend was in Veilstone.

"Got a job collecting soil samples from the Valley Windworks river," Clove explained proudly, "which also doubled as a romantic getaway with one Elizabeth Swane."

"What happened to Michelle?"

"Takumi, my dude," Clove spoke down to him, "a man such as myself cannot be pinned down by such trivial matters as 'Michelle,'" Takumi felt the strong urge to punch something. Preferably Clove.

"So you went to Floaroma, but you bought me a souvenir?" he just had to question the stupidity, "Why not waste your money on a useless trinket for yourself?"

"Takumi, Takumi, Takumi," Clove sounded like a disappointed parent, "When you spend a week in a cottage, alone, with Elizabeth Swane, there is no need for souvenirs," Takumi almost retched. "So," Clove went on, "it's been almost a month, and you haven't even called! I might just have to come down for a surprise check-up!"

"Do that, and Winter will have a new ice sculpture to display," the teacher threatened in response, causing Clove to laugh nervously, "and for your information, things have been quite… Hectic, here."

"What's this?" Clove questioned, "the Great Takumi is having difficulties at his dream job? I should've known, you sound more miserable than usual."

"I have everything under control," Takumi confirmed, trying to keep his voice steady. His college buddy across the ocean wasn't having it.

"Come on," he hummed, "tell Uncle Clove what's wrong."

"I hate you."

"I know," Clove said sympathetically, and listened as Takumi relayed the highlights of the month to his friend. After a month of having nobody willing to put up with his demeanor, it felt… Not good, but better, to speak to the fellow Sinnoh native about his experiences. Takumi recounted his battles with Camilla, Uendo and the other delinquents, the complete lack of connection with his class, and the coalition of teachers with a personal vendetta against him.

He was particularly hesitant to go into detail about that final argument with his coworkers earlier that day. Though Takumi sure that he was in the right, he ended up backed into a corner by their gang tactics, and finally physically lashed out at one of them.

Threatening the insolent professor took a backseat, however, to an even bigger worry: his glance at the window, searching for the secretary that came to his aid in the previous debate. To Takumi, it was a clear sign of weakness. This much he revealed to Clove, then lapsed into silence, waiting for the diagnosis.

"…Heh," Clove began chuckling, then burst into full-on laughter. Takumi stared at the wall with a deadpan expression while Clove continued yukking it up at his expense. When he finally had the time to breath, "I'm sorry, Takumi, it's just that you're finally realizing what we've always known about you!"

"What do you mean?"

"You're quick with a smartass comeback, Takumi, but your social skills are about as evolved as a Wurmple," Clove laughed, "And of course we always wondered why you wanted to be a teacher: you hate kids!"

"I'm hanging up. Goodbye Clover Fields."

"Oh, don't be that way!" Takumi's friend tried to placate. "Look, for what it's worth, that Camilla kid is probably right; those teachers saw your battling skills and are just looking for a reason to attack you," at least this lightened the weight on Takumi's shoulders a bit.

"And the validity of their arguments?" he asked.

"I mean, bro," Clove answered, "you specifically told us that you wanted the job to fight powerful Burst Warriors. How's that working out for you?"

"Weak, all of them," Takumi informed him.

"Yeah, well, if you really are only there to get stronger, who really cares that the kids don't like your methods?"

"I didn't expect backlash this fierce," Takumi muttered. "These kids refuse to take anything from my teachings. I don't care if they _like_ my methods, I care that they _follow_ them. That's how my father trained me."

"So you've told me," Clove said. Takumi had to admit that his friend, idiotic as he was, had a point. The teacher had never really cared about being liked or educating the masses, only that he could spread his father's teachings that had made him so powerful. But now that those teachings were being thrown into question by vengeful teachers and unruly students, Takumi was starting to care very much about the insults to his greatest inspiration.

"If the system wasn't so obtuse, if I could train students like I was, individually. Apprentice to a master," Takumi wished quietly, incredibly frustrated with this new Academy setting.

"Ah the teaching of inner-city kids," Clove sighed nostalgically, "truly a struggle for the ages."

"Heh," Takumi snickered for the first time in a while. One thing was certain: one way or another, he was determined to reach these kids. He had never failed before…

"…"

"…"

"…So, about this Suki chick, on a scale of 1 to 10, how good are we talking?"

"No."

"Ah, come on!" the pervert whined, "It's not like you're after-"

 _CRASH!_

Takumi's superior reflexes reacted just in time to duck as the rock went flying through his window. The stone caused glass to shatter into the room and almost cut Takumi along the face. Immediately becoming furious, Takumi bolted up immediately and ran back to the window. He was just fast enough to catch the culprit as he ran out of sight, catching the flash of a red cape around the building corner.

"Holy crap, Takumi! Takumi! Are you dead?! Who murdered you?!" Clove babbled, scared into overdramatics by the loud noise on the other end. With no time to let the vandal get any further away, Takumi raced to his desk and picked up one of his four Burst Hearts as well as his phone.

"Gotta go," he said curtly and ended the call. Bursting with his Cinccino, he stepped onto the windowsill and nimbly hopped down along the wall, three stories to the ground. Without a moment to spare, he landed on the pavement and took off after the criminal.

As he weaved through the crowds of people, keeping a close eye on the red cape, Takumi realized that the person, some short teen or kid, wasn't aimlessly trying to gain distance from the apartment. Rather, he was determinedly headed towards something. Through this, Takumi figured that the rock-thrower didn't know that the Burst Warrior was on his tail and would most likely lead Takumi to his home or base. The Normal Type Burst kept a fair distance so that he wasn't spotted and continued to follow the admittedly dexterous and nimble kid.

He was lead a fair distance away, back into the southwest, mansion-filled section of the city. Deep into the gated community, the boy with the red cape ran until he reached a large house that sat at the edge of a rolling hill towards the countryside. Takumi scrambled up a nearby tree, getting a better view of the villa in the waning sunlight. From there, he found an interesting sight.

A group of four or five teenage girls, Miss Camilla among them, were moving several boxes and tables up the porch and into the house. Having reluctantly picked up knowledge of the frat life from Clove, Takumi could safely assume that the preparations were for a house party. Where there was a party, there was sure to be debauchery. That was what the Academy conversation was about. He studied the group, planning his next move.

"I'm telling you, Kiryu, there won't be enough to last the night," an unfamiliar girl with red hair explained to Miss Camilla. "I told you that we should've gotten a keg or two."

"Whatever, we'll get some tomorrow if we run out," Takumi's student said irritably in response. "You and Tula don't have to help set up, just get more before you arrive," at this point, the red-caped boy, much younger than the rest, made his appearance known.

"What's shakin', ladies?" even with his low level of social grace, Takumi felt second-hand embarrassment for the boy's lack of charisma. "So Kiryu, I was just-"

"Look, I have enough problems without you being here, Edward" Miss Camilla interrupted. "Make yourself useful and carry those boxes inside," the kid nodded eagerly before running over to a large box, releasing an Abra from its Pokéball and teleporting inside the house. The group continued to stick around and speak, but Takumi had seen enough.

Once again, Miss Camilla was making a mockery of Burst Warriors and the Academy. For some reason, Takumi felt more inclined than ever to keep the good name of Sugawara Harmoni intact. The professor began his walk back home, planning his next bout of street justice. Connecting with his students would have to wait, the second half of Winterspring's crime was about to come to an end whether they wanted it or not. Tomorrow night, Takumi had a party to crash.

* * *

 **Takumi Chikao Genji was created by Bladewielder05 on September 22nd, 2012. If you know literally anything about the original RP, you've probably figured out that Takumi was going to be the second main character of this story. He is (in)famous among the members of PokePlayers for taking the spotlight and becoming the main character of the RéBURST RP, spawning several in-jokes about his edgy personality and tendency to win every battle that he participated in. The question, then, is "why." Why did Takumi end up taking all the glory and become one of the icons for PokePlayers as a whole?**

 **I believe that the simple answer is that he was one of the best-written characters in the original story. The situations that Bladewielder put him in were inherently interesting, making people _want_ to play a role in Takumi's larger story. I certainly did. Not only that, but Takumi actually had character growth, a difficult feat in a collaborative story where every post can potentially knock everything off-track. Bladewielder was one of the best writers on the forum, as well as the most consistent fanfiction author, and it shows in his roleplaying.**

 **So what have I done with the character? Besides going through a wardrobe change and age upgrade, I've tried to keep Takumi fairly consistent with the RP incarnation. While Takumi was the cool, unfeeling guy with no mercy in battle, he would sometimes gain a sense of humor, insecurities or aspirations. I've tried to include all of that and make it flow more naturally with the story. Some of that previously mentioned character development was also a little... Redundant in the original RP (he learned how to open up and accept friends at least three times), so I'm not only remastering his old arcs, but also giving him some new ones to explore Bladewielder's character more fully. And really enjoying it along the way.**

 **Here we have the first chapter focusing on our second main character, maintaining his cold personality up until that last scene where he opens up a bit to his friend. I've tried to do the original Takumi justice, hopefully I'm succeeding. Next time these notes will be looking at the broader story, and where we actually are in relation to the roleplay.**


	5. Kid Charlemagne

A lone Poochyena gnawed hungrily on a small bone on a cold, starry night. Tasked with guarding the back door to a local liquor store, the Dark type was tied to a post in the backlot and had nowhere to go. The last employee had thrown him the snack before driving away in his truck, leaving the dog alone to stand watch. The squat, brown shop sported no features around the back save for the single door, a small, locked window and an overflowing dumpster. A single, flickering spotlight provided illumination around the door and the Poochyena's doghouse, leaving the barren area fairly easy to guard.

The Poochyena continued to chew on the bone in relative silence. The shop was situated on a sideroad, off the beaten path of the city nightlife. As such, the sound of vehicles was barely noticeable, allowing the guard to focus on eating his food.

Out of the corner of the Pokémon's eye, something caught his attention: the flicker of a shadow heading behind one of the few scraggly bushes across the pavement. The dog perked its head up, bone dangling from mouth, as the rustling of whatever was behind the plant broke through the stillness of the evening. The Poochyena cautiously stood up, placed the food behind him for its protection, then took a couple steps towards the shaking bush. When the rustling didn't stop, the Dark type bent down low, baring its sharp canines and growling in a high-pitched whine. The shaking grew more intense, and the Poochyena prepared to face whatever was after his treat by giving a snarl and preparing to unleash its Bite attack. Just as the dog leaned back to pounce, a soft "mew" emanated from behind the shrub before the scheming face of a Meowth peeked out from behind the bush.

The cat Pokémon, completely unafraid, pranced out from behind its cover on all fours and sat down in front of the guard dog. The Poochyena, completely taken aback by the lack of fear in the invader, paused his guttural growling and tilted its head at the Normal type in confusion. The crafty-looking Pokémon simply licked its paw in contentment while the Poochyena quickly reverted back to leaning low and attempting to intimdate the invader, barking out a threatening snarl. In response, the Classy Cat Pokémon glanced bemusedly at his attacker before conjuring a coin, seemingly from nowhere, and launching it at the dog's face.

The coin bonked the Poochyena on the nose, and the dog gave a rather squeaky yelp before falling over in shock. The Meowth gave a nasally laugh as the Dark type struggled to recover and stand back up, angrier than ever before. After returning to its feet, the Bite Pokémon gave a single bark in warning before launching itself at its provocateur. Unfortunately, the clever Meowth had seemed to pick the perfect spot to sit, as the Poochyena reached the end of its rope just as its fangs were about to latch onto the target's face. The Dark type was pulled backwards and knocked over once again, causing the intruding Pokémon to laugh even harder at the guard's misfortune.

At its wit's end, the Poochyena stood up once more, gathered whatever dignity it had left and prepared to unleash a verbal assault on the Normal type that which the world had never seen. Just before he could let out a single bark, however, the Meowth stopped chortling and looked up casually at the night sky. This gave the Dark type a second of pause as he followed the cat's gaze, just in time to see the Golbat swoop down from the roof and grab the dog with its two stubby claws. The force and speed of the attack easily snapped the rope and allowed the Sonic Pokémon to carry its prize up into the sky. Thankfully, the Golbat had no intention of keeping the dog as a midnight snack, and it flew a few feet higher, over the top of the roof. It then dropped the Poochyena, shaking in fear, on the top of the building. The Flying type dived downwards and resumed its position, upside-down along the rooftop ledge just in time for three Alley Cats, Kiryu, Natsume and Ayame, to arrive and complete the heist.

"Aw, he did great, didn't he?" Natsume oogled over her Meowth as it ran up and jumped into her arms, purring in satisfaction.

"We could've done it a little quieter, you know," Kiryu retorted irritably, already frustrated that they were out this late to begin with.

"Wouldn't have mattered, anyways," Ayame pointed up at the roof, on which the Poochyena was now running in circles on and barking loudly. Even with Tula keeping watch out front, Kiryu wasn't exactly happy with the racket they were making.

"Just get us in there," she ordered. Ayame nodded and released her own Pokémon. The black fur of her Sneasel blended in perfectly with the dark surroundings as the Ice type hopped up onto the dumpster and got to work opening the small window above. Sticking her large-yet-precise claws into the lock, the Pokémon quickly jammed and broke the device, allowing the three humans to open the window and slip inside.

Working in silence, the Kiryu and Ayame snuck around the backroom and grabbed several bottles and packs of alcohol with gloved hands. They passed them to Natsume, who made sure that they were safely placed outside with the help of Ayame's Sneasel. Once they had a small horde of the drinks, the group left as silently as they came, Kiryu making sure to close the window behind her. If the employees didn't notice the break-in, she'd have a great place to come back to if she ever needed more.

"Piece of cake, right?" Natsume said as the group of thieves headed back around the store. Waiting in front of them was a beat-up car, its engine running in the event of a quick getaway. Tula poked her head out of the driving window and grinned giddily, seeing the successful heist.

"We wouldn't have needed to be here if _somebody_ remembered to grab some drinks before they showed up," Kiryu shot back, looking pointedly at Ayame.

"I told you before, we wouldn't have enough," Ayame shrugged and opened the back of the vehicle to load up the goods. "At least we don't have to pay this way," Tula gave a sharp whistle, calling her bat Pokémon back to her. The other Alley Cats loaded up the pilfered drinks, hopped in the car, returned their Pokémon to their devices and sped off.

Kiryu glared out the window as the city flashed by. They were headed southbound through the rich district, passing through streets lined with darkened houses and manors. Off in the distance, however, the main city lights shined brilliantly, constantly alive with people no matter the hour. Natsume accompanied her in the backseat while Ayame rode shotgun. Tula drove and bounced childishly to the beat of her extremely loud and obnoxious death metal music.

"Uh-oh, someone's a sourpuss," Tula had sensed Kiryu's grumpy expression and began poking fun. The girl in the back rolled her eyes, still annoyed that she wouldn't be on this trip if the two up front had done their job.

"Well, I didn't exactly want to leave our party midway through to stop by the grocery store," the teen snapped back, "I actually had plans tonight, you know."

"With that Ivy girl, right?" Ayame asked. She and Tula had barely met Kiryu's best friend, having already dropped out of school by the time Kiryu had gotten to know them. Thankfully, mentioning Ivy caused Kiryu to perk up a bit, though being reminded of her friend all alone in that house only increased Kiryu's sense of urgency to get back.

"That's right," she answered Ayame, "we'll have a kind of initiation into our lifestyle, you know? By the time the night's over, we'll have a new Alley Cat member," once Ivy saw how great the Alley Cat life was, Kiryu reasoned, the two would finally have a common bond just like old times. She was sure of it.

"You really she's Alley Cat material, huh?" Tula asked rather skeptically, giving Kiryu a glance from the mirror.

"Er, yeah, I do. Do you have a problem with Ivy or something?" the teen wasn't expecting such doubt and frowned, looking back at Tula dubiously. She immediately put her eyes back on the road.

"No, no," Tula hummed, "It's just… I'm sure she's cute and all, but she's kind of a… Poindexter, you know? From what I've seen, at least," Natsume laughed and nodded in agreement, while Kiryu turned to the rest indignantly.

"What? No, I mean…" despite her protests, Kiryu could see where they were coming from; Sure, Ivy could joke with Kiryu in class, but when it came to the smarts, Ivy was much more "book" while the Alley Cats tended to lean towards "Street." All that said, there really wasn't any doubt in the best friend's mind that Ivy wouldn't want to join the gang after tonight. "Look, no matter what she's like now, I'm sure that she'll adjust to us just fine."

"Oh yeah? Mr. Genji's star pupil will turn to the dark side?" Natsume questioned dryly, causing Tula to giggle and both Kiryu and Ayame to sigh, though for different reasons.

" _Please_ don't say that name again," Kiryu begged, "every mention of him kicks my migraine up a notch."

"Yes, don't," Ayame agreed. "Kiryu's complained to me enough about the not-so-tender vigilante," she was unlucky enough to have been the one, chosen by Kiryu, to hear all her concerns about some kind of coup by Takumi now that he had wind of the party. It had been eating away at Kiryu all day, and the feeling was still persisting even then.

"Why are you all still going on about him?" Tula gave the two in the back a patronizing stare in the mirror. "Isn't he a little too old for you girls to be obsessing over?"

"No, I- Wait, what the hell did you just say to me?" Tula and Ayame shared a laugh while Kiryu felt her face heat up despite the cold weather.

"I wouldn't be too worried," Ayame took over for the blushing teen, "but your concern isn't completely unfounded, Kiryu. He's a great Burst Warrior, I'll give them that."

"Oh, please," Tula puffed back, "No second-rate teacher is a match for the all-powerful Tula!"

"Yeah? Then why'd you run away with me when he was chasing us?"

"Look," Kiryu interrupted, already tired of the lover's quarrel, "who's to say that he won't pull what he did to the Burst Beats, eh?" Surely the other Alley Cats could see the potential for a crisis, couldn't they?

"Those were the Burst Beats," senior member Tula dismissed. "If I didn't think that the Alley Cats were a tad bit smarter than the Beatniks, why would I be hanging out with a bunch of annoying teens instead of some muscular, manly Burst Warriors?" the red-haired girl next to her promptly punched Tula in the shoulder. She giggled, "What? It's technically a compliment!"

Kiryu, meanwhile, drowned out the conversation for the rest of the ride back. Maybe the unease was just some kind of motherly worry for her Alley Cats. Regardless of her concerns, she wasn't going to let it stop her from her goal. Tonight was about her and Ivy, and she would not let Takumi, Tula or anyone else take it away from her. This party would be a success, she thought. It had to be.

* * *

With barely any vehicles on the road, the trip back was fairly short. The four passed through the wealthy neighborhoods and were soon back at the villa, epicenter of the party, by midnight. Turnout was a success, judging by almost two dozen cars parked out on the lawn and on the side of the nearby street. The light from the windows was multicolored and bright, and a muffled beat shook the area from the loud rave music within. Several Academy students, sprawled out on the outdoor porch to escape the stifling heat inside, gave a cheer at the arrival of more booze and helped to carry the liquor inside.

Kiryu carried a box of drinks through the front hallway and into the kitchen. She noted with satisfaction at the large group talking, dancing and drinking in the large living room, a dining room dominated by a rousing game of beer pong and a closed study filled with smoke, its occupants' eyes bloodshot and mental faculties slow.

The kitchen was no less crowded, the aftermath of a keg stand laid out across the tile floor. Kiryu weaved through a crowd of eight people to place the liquor in the fridge. When she passed by the stairs to grab a second box, however, she was interrupted by a happy shout from the top of the staircase. She looked up to see a red cape billowing as it floated downwards, its owner sliding on his rear down the handrail.

"Kiryu, there you are!" Edward grinned as he reached the bottom and, using his momentum, ran into the teen for a hug, which Kiryu didn't bother to return. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Oh, Ed. Great. You made it," Kiryu gave a deadpan expression while two older girls nearby remarked on how cute the young-looking boy was. Kiryu pried herself away from the eager fourteen-year-old, "Yeah, well, I've been out for the past half hour, grabbing some things."

"Oh, really?" Edward nodded thoughtfully, "Well, there goes a half an hour of my life searching for you," Kiryu sighed and made to go back to the car, only for Ed to follow along, sticking to her like glue. "Great party, huh?"

"Wouldn't know," Kiryu muttered. She had only spent several weeks planning and all day setting it up, with barely any time enjoying it.

"So," Ed tried to put a hand on Kiryu's shoulder, but she expertly dodged, "What say you and I hit the dance floor and cut a rug?"

"Actually," Kiryu stated loudly, "I had other plans with my friend Ivy. So, well, no time for that," she gave a half-hearted laugh at the tragic predicament. The relentless kid, however, didn't miss a beat.

"Great!" Edward exclaimed. "We'll have to make it a three-way, then!" Kiryu stopped in her tracks and narrowed her eyes at Ed, only receiving an eager, childish smile in return.

"Goodbye, Ed," Kiryu swiveled around and left the kid in the hallway.

"Oh yeah, catch up with you tonight, right?" he waved at her retreating form. "We have to talk later, tell you all about my feat of bravery!" Kiryu didn't give him a backwards glance, yet for some reason was hit with an ominous feeling. No idea why.

After unloading everything, she headed back to the kitchen, only to find a panic-stricken Kazurō. He was looking around in horror, rambling, "disgusting… why did I agree to this… how will we clean this up?" The black-haired girl tried to edge back out of the room to look for Ivy, but was spotted by the house owner and immediately cornered by the spazzed-out teen.

"You!" he pointed his finger towards Kiryu, face nervous and twitchy, "This is a disaster! People are spilling things everywhere, they've broken my gran's glass cabinet, they're going into rooms that are off-limits-"

"Yeah, and?" Kiryu asked sarcastically. How did she get stuck with a host who couldn't figure out the basic consequences of throwing a get-together like this? She pushed him out of the way and headed back towards the fridge, "That's kind of what happens at a party, man. What did you expect? We'll just clean it up tomorrow."

"There's no way we'll be able to replace everything, it'll cost way too much! And what if my family comes back early? What am I supposed to do then?" the boy protested while Kiryu chuckled and shrugged.

"Look, if you're going to be this naïve, I can't help you. You volunteered for this, you wanted to be the talk of the town, get over it, dude," seeing that she would be no help, Kazurō groaned and raced off, hopelessly trying to prevent further damage. Kiryu rolled her eyes and was about to grab something from the fridge when she spotted a certain little lady looking in through the kitchen archway.

"Ivy!" Kiryu raced over to her best friend in relief. She finally felt like she could put all of her worries behind her and follow through with her plan. Ivy was a bit overdressed for the occasion, in a knee-length green dress with straps and hair done professionally in a bun. The party veterans, Kiryu included, still wore their street clothes. The Alley Cat leader had only added additional makeup and a dyed purple streak in her hair for the event. Nevertheless, Ivy's pretty clothing, coupled with her shy, dolled-up face made her look adorable in Kiryu's eyes. She'd have no trouble finding a guy to make the most of the night.

"Kiryu, thank god you're back," Ivy said nervously. "I don't think that this is for me, I'm gonna go home, okay?" Kiryu laughed at the uneasiness of her friend.

"Aw, come on, don't be like that!" Kiryu teased, "the night is still young! Now that I'm back, let's make the most of it, huh?"

"Please, Kiryu, let's not-"

"No, I insist," Kiryu grabbed Ivy's arm and yanked her into the room. "We're going to have a great time and you're gonna like it, missy!"

"Kiryu," Ivy pleaded, "I really, really don't want to be here anymore," she tried to pull away, but her companion held her in place. Her eyes had begun to glisten, and Kiryu couldn't bear to look at that. So instead she grabbed half a six pack off of the counter.

"No way, girl," she laughed, handing her a can and opening one for herself, "Let's toast to a wild night, alright? Bottoms up!" Kiryu clacked the two cans together, flashing Ivy a bright, mischievous smile. Her closest pal weakly returned it, and together they drank.

* * *

Ivy felt terrible. She was light-headed, sick, exposed, embarrassed and ashamed. On a loveseat in the living room, she leaned far away from Osamu, a senior student at the academy. The head-banging metal music from earlier had changed to a slow, soft rock, mirroring the party's descent into intimate contact and teenage hormones.

Kiryu had dragged her around the house for the past hour, volunteering her for various drinking games, from beer pong to spin the bottle. Even after denying the offers for a hit on the bong ("It gives me paranoia") and trying to drink as little as possible ("I've got a weak stomach"), Ivy's head was swimming from the alcohol, noise and colors. Her worst fears had been realized. There were too many people, the music was too loud, the house was too crowded, she hated it.

Osamu, a professional in his craft, leaned back on the side of the couch, letting the chick have her space. "You're Kiryu's friend, right? Part of that little clique of hers?" The girl in the green dress looked back over at her couch partner, only to see that his eyes were not focusing on her face. She tensed up, deeply regretting the single time she had mentioned Osamu's good looks to Kiryu in passing.

"Er… Yeah, I'm her friend. I'm not an Alley Cat, though," she explained hesitantly. The boy sidled closer, catching the apprehension on Ivy's face. He smirked.

"I guess you don't share your friend's… Loose reputation, do you?" Ivy flinched at the claim about Kiryu but didn't try to deny it. Osamu continued to inch closer, thinking that Ivy hadn't noticed. "Never saw you as the partying type. Oh, but don't worry about it, that's fine with me." Ivy gave a distraught look for Kiryu, only to find her on top of another upperclassman, lips locked and preoccupied. Somehow the room had almost completely emptied, and the voices from the hallway seemed lightyears away.

"You look very beautiful tonight," Osamu continued softly, more intimately. She could smell the booze on his breath.

"Thank you," Ivy mumbled, wondering how there was a comparison, he had only met her tonight. The two were right next to each other now, and she felt worse than ever. The room was spinning from her distress, egged on by the alcohol. Why did she let herself get talked into this? She tried to move away again, but there was no room left on the furniture to shift over. When Osamu, eyes now locked on her own, reached a hand for her face, she shakily brushed it back, trying to stand up.

"No, don't go," he placed his hand on her thigh, keeping stationary. Ivy shuddered at the touch but had no time to say anything as Osamu leaned in towards her. Leaned over top of her. "Stay with me tonight," his face was in hers as he leaned in for the kiss…

* * *

"NO!" the sheer desperation of Ivy's cry broke Kiryu from her partner. Thinking for one moment that her best friend was stabbed or something, she jumped off the couch, slamming the face of the boy under her with her elbow. She found, across the living room, Osamu, holding his ears in pain from Ivy's scream and the girl, herself, wildly grabbing her purse and making to leave the room. The teen immediately turned on Osamu, roughly pushing him into the back of the couch.

"What the hell happened?!" Kiryu shouted, ready to sock him in the face. "Did you start grabbing her?!"

"No," Osamu angrily returned, completely taken aback, "She didn't say anything until she made my ears bleed! You told me that she liked me!" Kiryu backed off, realizing that he was telling the truth. She had heard Ivy say that she liked the upperclassman, so she told Osamu that Ivy would be fine going all the way. What was she doing?

Kiryu caught up with Ivy just as she reached the foyer, about to leave through the front door. "Ivy, what happened?" she asked, stepping in front of her friend so that she didn't move further. For some reason, Ivy looked incredibly hurt. "If you didn't want him coming onto you, why didn't you say 'no' to him before?"

"I said 'no' to _you,_ Kiryu!" Ivy suddenly jabbed the black-haired girl with her finger, and Kiryu realized a second too late that her friend was mad at her. "I said something to you multiple times, weeks ago! Then you just… Thrust me into the moment with no warning and expected me to tell some third party what I've been saying to you this past month?!" She had caught Kiryu completely off guard, Kiryu was taken aback by these sudden harsh words.

"I was right there with you, though!" Kiryu argued. "Didn't you see me?"

"I saw you swapping saliva with some random jackass, if that's what you mean."

"Still, what's the problem, girl?" Kiryu questioned. "I thought you said that you liked Osamu."

"Oh, so you could listen to me then, couldn't you?" Ivy spat.

"Ivy, you're not making sense," Kiryu was legitimately confused by what was happening right now. She had thought that things were going so well. "What haven't I been listening to?"

"You never listened to me about all of this," Ivy waved her arms at the party crowd, many of which had turned to look at the two with concern. "I told you that I didn't want to do this, I didn't want to drink beer and do drugs and have sex, but you kept pressuring me," the words spilled from Ivy's mouth. She might as well have vomited on Kiryu instead. "You haven't been listening!"

"No, I…" Kiryu stammered, "I… You just needed a little push, is all. I knew you'd come around eventually, right? You always said how we never do anything together, haven't you had fun with me tonight? Ivy… I set all of this up for you!" Usually so silver-tongued with Ben, Lin or even Takumi, the teen was suddenly unable to find the right words to calm her childhood companion. It was all true, what she said, yet Ivy seemed unmoved.

"Not like this, I already told you! This has been a horrible night," not a single one of Takumi's insults, nor his physical attacks, hit Kiryu in the gut as hard as Ivy did just then. The brunette backed off a bit, eyes welling up with water. She crossed her arms and turned her head away, "If you don't like hanging out with me anymore, that's fine, Kiryu. But I thought you knew me well enough not to just keep forcing me into this…"

"No, that's not it at all!" Kiryu returned. Why wasn't she getting through to the girl she knew so well? Her reasoning was laid out right in front of her, could Ivy just not see it? Or was her reasoning not as genuine as she had thought? "Please, this was supposed to be our night together. I'd help you meet new people, you'd join the Alley Cats with me-"

"Is that what this is, then?!" Ivy suddenly yelled once more, tears falling freely. "Is this all so I'll join your stupid gang?! Well Sorry, Kiryu, but I'm not interested!" Before the Alley Cat leader could catch her again, Ivy stormed out the front door, leaving them to slam in Kiryu's face. The teen stopped just short of running into them, abruptly stopping in place and staring at the wooden slabs separating her and Ivy. It was all she could do not to let the tears flow. She didn't understand. How could her best friend just leave like that?

Kiryu turned back to see several other students staring at her, the background music barely keeping away an awkward, oppressive silence. The series of bleary, bloodshot eyes trained on her, combined with the fading adrenaline hit Kiryu like she had swallowed a brick. All of the nasty substances in her body activated at once, an effective triple hangover. Feeling the strong urge to throw up, she stumbled through the crowd and towards the bathroom, tripping and falling just short in the hallway. She had no choice but to lay there and let the nausea pass while the room spun around her.

How did this happen? How could she have known that Ivy's misgivings were more than first time jitters? Why did she act out so harshly over a misunderstanding? Ivy's last words played over and over in her head. It wasn't about the gang, it was about the two of them, wasn't it? She and Ivy did everything together before, it only seemed natural that she'd take part in Kiryu's recent activities. After all her work for this party, all of the obstacles put in her place, how could this have been the outcome?

Just as she was attempting to stand up, Kiryu's battered mind was assaulted by another girl getting in her face, this time Tula. Peering over her to make sure she was still alive, the woman also held half of a red cape behind her. The other half was wrapped tightly around Edward's neck, as he was being dragged across the floor.

"Kiryu, we've got a problem," Tula informed the boss, who was currently heavily dependent on the wall, practically laying sideways on the support. She bent double, still feeling the urge to vomit up the burning liquor in her stomach. Tula seemed completely unaware of Kiryu's past few minutes, though she looked stone-faced, a rare expression for the woman.

"Not now, Tula," she waved the two away, wobbling dangerously, "I'm… Trying to process a lot right now…"

"No time, girl," she grabbed Kiryu's shoulders and got her to an upright position, back to the wall. Behind her, Ed was looking for an escape route down the hall, but Tula caught him once again by his cape. Dragging him in front of her, Kiryu could see his face rapidly turning blue. "Tell her, twerp," Tula hissed, loosening the makeshift noose and allowing the young thief to speak after a series of coughs.

"Kiryu, I'm sorry, I didn't know…" Edward's voice was tinged with real fright. Tula impatiently batted him across the back of the head, and he continued. "Yesterday… I threw some rocks through Takumi's window… I think I saw him follow me here before… He knows where the party is," Kiryu stared at the kid, eyes widening and face draining of color as the gravity of this new problem fully processed.

Visibly shaking, Kiryu had to rest her head on the back of the wall before turning to Edward in despair. "N-no," she breathed, "Do you realize what's you've done?" they were all about to be arrested, she knew it. Her muddled mind could only picture them all headed to jail, thanks to Takumi. She had known that he was out to destroy her world, and now he finally had the means to do it. Edward couldn't meet her accusatory gaze and tried to turn away.

"I'm so sorry, I was just trying to impress-" in a split second, Kiryu's adrenaline returned, accompanied by an animalistic rage. She grabbed Edward by the shirt and held him in place, looking into his face with hysterical eyes.

" _How could you do this to us?"_ she demanded, starting to shake the now-terrified boy before Tula grabbed her arms, letting Edward fall to the ground. _"You've ruined me! You've ruined all of us!"_

"Kiryu, please, I'm sorry!" he laid there, sprawled out on the floor, crawling backwards away from the out of control teen.

"You prepubescent, homeless piece of crap!" she roared, barely resisting the urge to kick the kid while he was in range, "we should've kicked you off of our street when we had the chance! Get out!"

"Wait-"

"Out!"

"Kir-"

"OUT!"

Kiryu continued to scream until he hastily got to his feet and rushed towards the side door to leave. Only then did Tula let go of her companion, who desperately turned to the older woman.

"Tula, he's here, I just know it," Kiryu's voice had immediately drained from an angry screech to a child-like plea for help. She was going to be locked up, the Alley Cats would be gone, she'd be expelled from school, kicked out of the house by Lin, have nowhere to go. And worst of all, Ivy wouldn't be there to help her through it all like before. Luckily, Tula was able to remain calm in the face of such dangers.

"Calm down, hon', we'll be fine as long as we don't get caught," she explained firmly, holding Kiryu tightly by the forearms. "It's time to abandon ship, y'hear? Get out of here before it's too late, if he did call the cops, run and hide. Got it?" Kiryu nodded, and Tula let her go, heading deeper into the house to find Ayame. She was right, Kiryu thought, taking deep breaths to calm herself. This was no time to have a mental breakdown. She had gotten out of sticky situations before, and she could do it again.

The fastest way out was back through the front door, so Kiryu headed back the way she had come. Her depressant-riddled brain was having trouble comprehending the world around her. The dim, multicolored lights put everything in a shadowy haze and the music, seemingly louder than ever, was giving her a pounding headache. Nevertheless, she pressed onward, keeping a steady pace and avoiding the few people left in the hall, who were either too drunk or too high to care.

She made it back to the foyer, and her argument from earlier was added to the cacophony of sound inside her mind. Why did Ivy hate her so much? The picture of her listening intently to Takumi, the man about to bring hell upon her, played out once more in Kiryu's head. …Did _he_ have something to do with it all? Did her arch enemy plan for all of this to happen? _Were more people in on it?_ She called it absurd, yet the idea refused to leave Kiryu's drug-addled subconscious.

She put one foot in front of the other, headed straight for the door. Once she was free, she'd have to head into the streets, maybe south towards the woods and lake if she heard any sirens-

"Rough night, Miss Camilla?"

Right in the middle of the room, she stopped. The taunt had rung out clearly over the music, voices and chaos. The words went off in her head like a bomb, finally killing the ever-mounting tension and anticipation of his appearance. On the other hand, all that was left was a feeling of hopelessness and dread. He had found her. He found her, and he was about to complete his master plan, annihilating her life. Kiryu tried to assure herself that there was still a way out of this. It couldn't be over yet.

Takumi appeared from a shadowy corner, the perfect position to block the door if she tried to run. The Alley Cat stood as steadily as she could manage, instinctively placing a hand near Liepard's Burst Heart. All she could think of doing was talking him into a false sense of security and buy for time. Of course, if the cops weren't here yet, her stalling would only make the situation worse. If she ran, though, she would be caught immediately by the vigilante. With the odds stacked against her like this, and all that had happened tonight, there was only one talking point the girl could think of.

"Why?" Kiryu growled, trying to get a read of the teacher's face, "Why do you hate me so much, so much that you'd ruin my life?" she expected him to smirk and finally gloat about finally being validated, that all of his insults and name-calling towards her were about to come true.

"Oh, please," Takumi scoffed, and the gang member had to look at his face in surprise. Rather than a mastermind's grin, he wore his usual, condescending expression. As if he were talking to a child who knew nothing about the world.

"I'd never ruin your life," he continued, "because there's no life to ruin, Miss Camilla. Frankly, I'm more ashamed in myself for intervening so often, instead of letting your own decisions speak for themselves."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you have been a complete waste of my time, after all," once again, Kiryu felt herself becoming enraged at a simple statement from the Burst Warrior in front of her. Here Takumi had her at her lowest point, and he was still blaming her, trying to pin everything on the sixteen-year-old.

"How can you just stand there," Kiryu tried to keep a steady voice, "and destroy my life without even owning up to it?"

"I have done no such thing," Takumi retorted, as if her statement were completely incredulous. How could he lie so convincingly when he had already won? How could he continue to psychologically torture her?!

"Of course you have!" she shouted despite herself, sick of whatever game he was playing, "You've taken away my group, my friends and my life! Don't you have anything to say for yourself?!" Takumi snorted again, as if she had said some kind of joke. When she only got angrier at his reaction, the man shook his head in disappointment.

"Oh, for god's sake Kiryu, look around you!" for the first time, the teen heard Takumi raise his voice. He stepped up and gestured to the villa around them, walking towards her as he spoke. "How could you be so obtuse to your own actions?! From the day I met you, I could tell that this… This _mess_ would be the end result! How many times have I told you the consequences of abusing your Burst abilities? Your ridiculous excuse of a mob was destined to break apart at the seams, and your falling out with your friend can only be the result of your terrible behavior towards her! Isn't your current situation proof enough that your empire was made of dust?!" Kiryu had to step back as Takumi advanced on her, astounded at both the cruelty and… Sincerity of his lecture. The pit in her stomach, constantly present since meeting Takumi, seemed to open up even further. However, like a trapped dog, Kiryu couldn't listen to reason, if there was any to be had. She had been through too much that evening to change her perspective.

"That's not true," she said, forcing herself to meet Takumi's menacing glare, "Ever since you came here, you've done nothing but change my friends, twist my words around and turn everyone against me! I won't let you place the blame on me, you bastard!" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the teacher's fingers clench and realized that, under his mask, Takumi was just as furious and tired with her as she was of him.

"If you're this unwilling to listen to reason, then there's no point in arguing with you. The authorities will be here shortly," Takumi unclenched his fist and sighed disdainfully, closing his eyes in annoyance. "How a woman of your mother's caliber could've had a daughter so weak in character, I will never understand," the man turned to leave the house while behind him, Kiryu snapped.

She Bursted, fueled by fury, humiliation and three years of pain, and slashed a gleaming set of claws at her tormentor's neck.

Takumi could only barely raise his arm in defense as the attack struck him, and a sickening, slicing sound tore through the room. As the red slowly faded from her eyes, Kiryu made out a long, diagonal streak of blood along Takumi's arm. The slash mark continued in the form of a tear in clothing up to his face, ending in a nick across his cheek. Blood began dripping down from the teacher's forearm, yet something else, some random particles, floated between the two of them. Kiryu regained control of her sense and realized that the particles were fabric: Takumi's scarf, wrapped around his neck, was torn nearly in two, possibly saving him from having his jugular vein severed.

She had almost killed a man. Murdered someone in cold blood because of a temper tantrum. Realizing this, Kiryu felt faint, and various scenes of the evening flashed in her head. Ignoring Ivy. Attacking Edward. Slashing Takumi.

When did she become so cold and violent? Was it another effect of meeting Takumi in Winterspring? Did it drive her and Ivy apart? Or did all of that happen _because_ she had grown so hostile?

Kiryu was returned to reality by the ragged breathing of Takumi. She snapped out of her head and looked at the older Burst Warrior. He wasn't examining his wound, but rather the ripped scarf. Takumi, much like Kiryu earlier that evening, held the item in front of him with visibly shaking hands. He completely ignored the blood dripping onto the floor, and instead turned his attention to the vandal that tore his clothing. The maniacal look in his eyes, Kiryu could see the reflection of herself just moments ago when she tried to attack Ed, and later Takumi, himself. She had finally pushed him over the edge, but she had never thought about what the consequences of that would be.

With nothing but a deep, guttural growl, Takumi swiftly grabbed a Heart and Bursted with his Froslass. He flew up to the ceiling whilst raising his arms to the sky. Kiryu's hair stood on end as the temperature rapidly decreased. The sheer power of whatever was coming caused the eyeholes in Takumi's hood to glow with a cold, blue light. Kiryu quickly realized that she and the rest of the party-goers were now in much more danger than getting arrested. She bolted back down the hallway once more to gain distance from the freezing time bomb. Several other people nearby, feeling the loss of heat in the house, looked into the foyer to find the Froslass Burst ready to unleash its attack and quickly followed Kiryu down the hall. Wind slammed into the windows from the outside, the sheer force causing the entire house to creak. Then, as Kiryu was just about to turn the corner to the kitchen, Takumi unleashed his fury.

The Ice type's entire body glowed with a brilliant flash of light, and a split second later the front windows of the building were shattered as a Blizzard attack howled through the windows and battered the door open. Wind, ice and snow blasted through the house like a tsunami, bowling over anyone inside with life-threatening force. Kiryu was physically lifted off her feet by the wind and slammed into a doorframe. She immediately Unbursted and could barely stay conscious as other people were knocked into walls, hit by flying chairs and buried in ice. If spiritual bonding with your Pokémon was real, then Kiryu could only see this kind of power as Burst Nirvana.

For almost a minute the entire house was wrapped by the Blizzard, barely able to hold onto its foundation. Mercifully, the gale finally ended as Takumi's glowing blue outline quickly faded away. Completely drained from such an attack, Takumi floated like a leaf onto the floor, landing on his hands and knees. Slowly, breathing heavily, he opened his eyes and saw the carnage he had created.

All of the windows in the house had shattered from the ice and wind. The double doors were only held by a single hinge. Anything not bolted to the ground was toppled over or pushed up against a far wall. The sound system was completely destroyed, leaving nothing but a cold silence throughout the building, save for the occasional pained moan from a victim of the attack.

Kiryu, thanks to her Burst form, was one of the few remaining conscious people in the house. She wiped away the ice that had crusted her eyes shut with blue fingers and looked down the hall at Takumi. He gazed at the villa in genuine shock at his own actions, at the sheer power of his own move. Turning his head in a slow circle, he finally noticed Kiryu, looking back at him with a mixture of fear and hatred. His face betrayed no malice or even his usual indifferent scowl. He looked at her with a stunned expression, unblinking, before slowly turning his head back to the ground. Takumi finally stood up and floated, seemingly aimlessly, back through the house, past Kiryu and out the back door. Shortly after, the sound of sirens reached the teen's ears.

Too feeble even try and flee, Kiryu closed her eyes and laid her head down on a pillow of snow and ice. The Alley Cats' party was over, and she didn't know if they could withstand what would come next. She was about to be taken away. Her best friend wouldn't be there to save her. And now that Takumi had left the house, there was no one left inside to blame but herself.

* * *

 **Full Disclosure: I am probably the least qualified person to write about high school parties, yet I decided to include one anyways. Granted, half the people who participated in the original roleplay weren't even in high school yet, so I don't look that bad in comparison, right? With my inexperience in mind, I still tried to make things as real as possible, for better or for worse. I even turned to a friend with some more first-hand experience for pointers. Hopefully it wasn't too melodramatic, or rather, just the right amount of melodramatic...**

 **In the original RP, Takumi's scarf gets similarly ripped, though it was in a Burst battle with Suki. The reaction from Takumi was very similar, and it served as one of the first points of character development in the roleplay. Remember that most RPs would be lucky to have this one moment of genuine character development, already setting the** **RéBURST roleplay ahead of the pack. Naturally, I couldn't not use this moment in my retelling.  
**

 **Besides the scarf incident, this is the first chapter written almost completely from my own head, featuring a location and events that never happened in the original roleplay. I'd like to think that it holds up, as it definitely won't be the last. The tearing of the scarf actually happens a bit later in the original timeline, but I bumped it up to here for my own purposes. For those of you trying to follow the original events, keep in mind that we are still much earlier in the story, long before the real fun begins.**

 **Tune in next week (or next month) to hear more about the humble origins of the legendary PokePlayers forum, and the people that brought it to the top.**


	6. Cut My Hair

_You know, after the tragic loss of our dear, beloved father, and with his company put on the brink of bankruptcy, my brother and I knew that we had to come together and save the family business, a corporation built on three generations of blood, sweat and tears. We moved to Unova, learned the ropes, and innovated our newly-acquired company to unprecedented levels. Today, as co-CEO of Infinicorp, the fastest-growing all-purpose corporation in the world, I can say with certainty that we will bring that spectacular innovation to Winterspring. Come, let Infinicorp live on in your next generation, let Infinicorp become a part of your family._

The commercial, featuring the charismatic, disembodied voice of the _Infinicorp_ CEO _,_ had been playing since Kiryu was a child. While Winterspring had begun its modernization process at the time of the Academy's construction, the international company had set its sights on Sakhaloh only a few years ago, and was now bringing the city up to speed at a breakneck pace. Despite the fact that the television had its sound turned off, Kiryu knew the commercial by heart simply from hearing it so often on the radio and TV channels. Because of the familiarity, repeating it in her mind was all she could to do to avoid going insane from the two screaming adults in front of her.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Lin shouted at her sister for the third time, "How could you be so irresponsible?!"

Back at the villa, Kiryu had had no strength nor drive to try and escape, so she remained sitting inside as concerned neighbors, then the police, then the ambulances, appeared at the trashed house. From what information had she managed to gather, casualties ranged from broken limbs to mild cases of hypothermia. Those that had the worst injuries were sent to the hospital, while the underage drinkers and ne'er-do-wells healthy enough to walk were transported directly to the police station. The officers were a bit more concerned about whatever caused so much sub-zero damage to the manor rather than the smaller violations taking place beforehand. Despite the best efforts of Winterspring's boys in blue, Kiryu had the feeling that Takumi, a man who could appear and disappear on a whim, wouldn't be found very easily. As for her, Kiryu played along as another innocent party-goer, giving no proof that she was the ringleader of the whole event. She didn't dare accuse Takumi of anything, knowing full well that he could take her down right with him. That, and the fact that she kind of almost murdered the guy.

In fact, Kiryu barely said anything at all to the officers, remaining in a dark haze after all that had happened to her in the past few hours. She only paid enough attention to see how many Alley Cats had escaped. By the looks of it, only half of her companions had heeded Tula's warning (if she had given one at all) and made it out after the ice storm. Their leader kept her head bowed and didn't acknowledge the girls she had failed.

Though the police weren't able to single Kiryu out from the crowd of other lawbreakers, the teen could foresee Lin's wrath before she even came to pick her up at the station. Kiryu often heard of how much worse it was for your parent to give you a sad, disappointed shake of the head rather than yell at you. After listening to Lin shout at her for most of the car ride home, she knew that was a load of bull.

The elder sister was now pacing the living room, calling out various profanities, all directed at Kiryu. Chao, usually the mediator, had completely betrayed the youngest this time and was now standing right behind Lin, glaring daggers at Kiryu. The youngest daughter tried her best to fill her mind with something, anything, to drown out the disparagement.

"How can you- Look at me, Kiryu!" Lin stopped in front of her sister's face and forced their eyes to meet, "Why don't you ever listen to me?!" Ivy's pained expression from earlier seemed to flash across Lin's face, and Kiryu had to bow her head and break the stare. Lin berated, "someone could've _died,_ Kiryu! Did you ever think of that?!"

"I didn't destroy the house," the teen's voice was haggard and tired. Lin gave a deranged laugh, more of a snort.

" _I didn't destroy the house,"_ she mocked in a nasally voice. "And if some drunk student crashed their car, it wasn't your fault either, huh?"

"Hey, I didn't start-" Kiryu tried to keep up the story she had told the authorities about her involvement, but was cut off by Chao's surprisingly emotional comment.

"We're not idiots, Kiryu," he said forcefully. "We know what you get up to with your gang, and we know that you're the one to start things like this."

"Delinquents!" Lin shouted. "How can you have such a terrible taste in dropout, trash friends?! Huh?!" Kiryu kept her head bowed and didn't answer, trying her best not to feel like a trapped animal as Lin leaned right over her face. "What do you have to say?!"

"I, I don't know! What do you want me to say?!" Kiryu could feel Lin practically breathing down her neck. The woman scoffed and resumed pacing the living room. Lin's raving performance dragged on, seemingly with the sole intention of hurting the younger sister as much as possible.

"How stupid can you get… Running around like some street tramp… Complete disgrace to Mom," Lin growled just loud enough for the other two to hear, causing Kiryu to cringe and Chao to double take at some of his sister's comments. The black-haired girl, fed up with her guardian's downright cruel attitude, was pushed back towards aggression. She couldn't help but try and defend herself.

"You know, I'm not going to sit here listening to you use Mom to insult me," Kiryu spoke up. Lin, as if waiting for a comment like that, stalked back over to Kiryu, who continued her response. "It figures that you wouldn't understand. Mom could've understood everything…"

"Are you kidding me?" Lin tisked, "Kiryu, Mom is rolling in her grave right now because of you!" the girl felt the wound in her stomach, created by Takumi, reopen once again. She was so sick of hearing people use her mother as a tool against her.

"Mom isn't some holy symbol to hold above me!" Kiryu growled, "And she damn well would've understood better than you, Lin. She wasn't some friendless freak, after all," her sister blanched.

"She'd never understand someone as irresponsible as you."

"Really?" Kiryu asked. "Because I'm pretty sure that if Mom acted responsibly at my age, you wouldn't even be here!" Kiryu's guardian looked ready to start shaking her in frustration. She took a step towards the younger sibling, hands half balled into fists.

"Don't you dare talk about-" Lin started.

"Oh, doesn't feel so good, does it?!" Kiryu shot off the couch, forcing Lin to back away despite her taller stature. "Don't like when someone uses Mom to make you feel like crap, huh?!" Lin leaned forward, back in Kiryu's face once more.

"This isn't about Mom, you little shi-"

"That's enough," Chao spoke firmly for the first time in his life. He stepped behind Lin and pulled her away, leaving Kiryu to glower at them both. Lin jumped at being forced back and roughly pushed Chao away.

"Unbelievable!" was all she shouted as she left, going up the steps before closing her bedroom door with a house-shaking slam. This left an oppressive silence in the living room as Kiryu scowled noiselessly at the floor, having never heard Lin act so livid and crude. Chao quickly broke the quiet by pointing at those same steps.

"Go to bed. I don't want to hear a thing until Monday morning," Kiryu, begrudgingly respecting her brother's self-control, walked out of the room without a word, purposely knocking her shoulder into her brother to move him out of the way. Another loud slam echoed through the house, almost as aggressive as Lin's, and finally there was a soundless nighttime stillness. Chao shook his head disappointedly, turned off the muted television and crawled up to bed, himself.

* * *

Kiryu fell asleep at 3:00 AM, Saturday-to-Sunday night and didn't wake up until 6:00 AM, Monday morning. Her sleep was deep and dreamless, save for two hazy memories of emptying her stomach and getting a cursory visit from Audino, both of which may or may not have been real. She woke up groggy and numb, but was grateful that her mind had completely shut down before she could go completely mad.

Upon awakening, Kiryu somehow felt more tired than ever before. Despite wanting to phase into the mattress through osmosis, Kiryu's legs turned on autopilot, dragging her body out of bed and around the room with the sole intention of getting as far away from her siblings, the house, and the nightmare of the previous night, as possible. She couldn't be bothered to remember if Chao and Lin were working today, yet she had the feeling that they would be forcing her to class either way.

Kiryu showered and changed before heading downstairs. No one was there to greet her, meaning that Chao and Lin were either working, sleeping or unwilling to communicate with her. Bunch of fair weather siblings, Kiryu thought before heading out the door a bit earlier than she needed to. The cold wind blowing across the suburban landscape helped her wake up a bit more as she headed into the musty city air. Instead of walking up the main street to the Academy, Kiryu headed towards the familiar backroads, having left early to check up on what was left of the mighty gang she was supposed to be leading.

Some title, Kiryu thought glumly as she walked, "Leader of the Alley Cats," a group of teenage girls that can be utterly decimated after one bad evening. One lousy night, and Kiryu was teetering on the point of no return; she had barely avoided getting locked up, and expulsion could very well be handed to her via one letter from the Dean.

As it turned out, Kiryu's assessment of her group wasn't completely accurate. She turned down their main alley to find Natsume picking up her things. Evidently, several Alley Cats had been through over the weekend, as evidenced by several barren walls where valuable and pilfered goods had once stood. The two girls exchanged equally tired glances.

"How long've you been out here?" Kiryu noticed that the other teen was wearing the same clothes from Saturday and could only assume that she'd been on the backstreet for quite some time.

"Ran here after the cops showed up," Natsume confirmed, "I was so wasted, had no idea where I was going, so I just hid here until morning. Had to text my parents that I was just staying late at Reika's house and spent the day recovering."

"Geez, sorry to hear that," Kiryu sympathized, wishing that she had been able to lie low instead of facing Lin. "Did Tula warn you about what was going down on Saturday?"

Natsume shook her head, "No, I just saw her grab Ayame and ditch us. Barely got out myself before the place blew up. What was that all about?" Kiryu explained Takumi's appearance and what followed, happy to tell the full story that she couldn't recount to the adults and get it off of her chest. She recalled how a bunch of other Alley Cats were grabbed by the cops, but were let out pending an investigation. Natsume gave an exasperated laugh at the end, less of her normal giggle and more of an exhausted sigh.

"Yeah, well, sorry that I didn't warn you sooner," Kiryu offered, shrugging.

"It's fine," Natsume said, "I'm just glad that no one was severely injured. And that Takumi didn't completely screw us," Kiryu nodded, though she wasn't so sure about the last part. Before she could reply, a sharp zapping noise came from a corner of the alley. The two looked over to see a sleeping yellow sloth floating over a messy pile of blankets.

"Ed," Kiryu growled to herself, the emotions from Saturday flaring up once more. Instead of doing anything too irrational, though, Kiryu simply released her Liepard and ordered it to attack the levitating Abra. Natsume and Kiryu watched wordlessly as the Dark type leapt over and Slashed the Pokémon onto the ground before it could Teleport.

"Yeah, Edward came back to gather his things, took most of those Pokémon with him," Natsume informed Kiryu while Liepard finished knocking out the Psychic type. "I didn't know he was in such a hurry to avoid you at the time. I guess he's out of the Alley Cats?"

"He was never in the Alley Cats," Kiryu's Liepard began sniffing the air before slinking over to an exposed water pipe. She slapped the metal tube with her tail, creating a reverberating sound and knocking Ed's annoying Zubat out. The creature shrieked and tried to blast Liepard with Supersonic, only to be beaten to the ground by a second Assurance tail slap. One Pursuit later and the Dark type had cleared out the last loitering Pokémon. "If you ever see him, tell him not to ever come back here, or else I won't be as forgiving," Kiryu shook her head and directed her cat to dump the two unconscious Pokémon out on the street.

"Well, if the coast is clear, I'm gonna get going," Natsume yawned and headed back towards the street.

"Oh yeah, sure, see you later," Kiryu mumbled. Part of her wished that the two could help each other out a bit more after all that had happened. But to tell the truth, Kiryu wasn't very well-acquainted with Natsume, Reika or any of the Alley Cats, save for Tula and Ayame. None of them she considered a _real_ friend, not like Ivy, anyways. Gazing around the forlorn, roofless alley, Kiryu had to question why she had chosen a bunch of girls that she barely knew over Ivy. Maybe the alley had seemed a lot more glamorous before everyone had grabbed their stuff and bailed on her.

* * *

It was no surprise to Kiryu that rumor had already spread completely through the Academy. When she entered the building and found Suki peeking at her from behind a computer monitor, Kiryu could already see that the events of Saturday had been circulated down the social ladder multiple times.

Outside from similar stares when they thought she wasn't looking, Kiryu's peers hardly acknowledged her throughout the day, treating her like the plague. This was normal behavior towards someone with a target on their back, as no one wanted to be found guilty by association for a busted party, whether they were present for it or not. Kiryu was completely fine with such a reaction, thankful to have nobody bother her while she attempted to last the entire school day. It did come with a downside, though. While Kiryu was fine without the random questions about her run-in with the police, she would've at least liked someone to, quite literally at times, lean on throughout the day. But with Ivy gone and most of the Alley Cats either recuperating or skipping class, Kiryu was left with no one to confide in about her weekend. The situation only reinforced the sixteen-year-old's lonely thoughts from earlier.

She valiantly pressed onward, getting through the day by ignoring the curious stares from classmates and disapproving looks from teachers, sleeping when she could and looking forward to… More time spent alone in her room, most likely. A part of her wanted to just ignore everything that had happened and go back to cracking jokes at the professors' expense and conversing with all of her classmates, but she just couldn't find the motivation to do so. It just wouldn't be the same without Ivy laughing with her. As the day wore on, Kiryu hoped that she could make amends with her best friend and salvage her reputation as a social Butterfree.

Hanging like a thunderstorm over all of this was the looming threat of a call from the councilor or dean's office. Each intercom crackle, each message to a professor caused her to flinch in cruel anticipation. Even if Kiryu managed to sneak out of the Winterspring authority's scrutiny, there was no way that the Academy hadn't taken notice of her actions. The school enforcement used to be notoriously strict, hence why the Burst Beats and Alley Cats were such a phenomenon. Even with a waning reputation, Kiryu was sure that they couldn't ignore a public situation that the whole school knew about. This fact served to drag Kiryu even further into doldrums during her school day. Her only solace was that she didn't have Physical Education on Mondays. She had held her tongue about Takumi's destruction on Saturday night, but if he ended up being the one to snitch on her, she'd be the one doing the… Dragging down with her. God, she felt tired.

Kiryu and Ivy had only one class together at the end of the day on Mondays, and Kiryu only saw her in the hallways once beforehand. She was resting her eyes under one of several stairwells when she picked up the brunette's quiet voice. Ivy was headed down the steps, looking almost as worn out as Kiryu felt. The difference was that she was talking quietly to another girl, one that the Alley Cat had never noticed before. Kiryu crouched behind the stairs and let them pass, wondering indignantly where Ivy had conjured this person from.

As the day went on, however, Kiryu got to thinking about this person. Ivy had a friend to cope with, while Kiryu had none. Furthermore, Kiryu had had no knowledge of her before today. And if she couldn't even be bothered to notice that Ivy had friends other than her, how could she trust herself to have been listening to anything Ivy had said in the past few weeks? The thought resonated deeply in Kiryu, giving her a sense of understanding about Ivy's comments during the party. Even if she was caught up in preparations, schoolwork and Takumi, it wasn't right that she had been ignoring her best friend's protestations. And despite still being a bit miffed at Ivy's dismissal of all of Kiryu's hard work on the party, the teen decided to try and make things right.

* * *

Just before their final class started, Kiryu caught her friend outside the doorway. She called out to Ivy, voice croaking from lack of use over the past couple days. She removed the perpetual scowl on her face and ran to catch up to her fellow student, who seemed to stiffen at the sound of Kiryu's voice.

"Hey, Ivy," Kiryu reached her friend, who reluctantly turned around outside of the door frame, not meeting Kiryu's eyes. The Alley Cat continued, "Listen, about Saturday… I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for making you do things you didn't want to. I guess was too wrapped up in preparing for it, and I didn't listen to you earlier," Kiryu had thought that her acknowledgement of her actions would at least allow the two to look at each other in the eye, but Ivy kept her eyes to the ground, face barely acknowledging the apology.

"Look, Kiryu, thanks," she offered, "but… I've thought about it, and I don't know if we should hang out anymore," Kiryu's mind, dulled to the pain of such unexpected comments, remained in denial. She could only give a confused smile at Ivy's joke.

"…What do you mean?" Kiryu asked, "Ivy, don't worry, I know what I did wrong," Ivy said nothing. "I want to make it right!"

"I appreciate it, really…" the brunette's voice turned quieter, "but I… Just don't like the bad influence we've had on each other," Kiryu felt her heart sink. After coming to make things right, now Ivy thought that she was a bad influence.

"Don't be like that," Kiryu shook her head, "I understand what you were saying before, and I'm willing to listen now. I'll never drag you into that position again!"

"You don't need to drag me, Kiryu. I told you before, it's okay that we're going our separate ways, but we need to be honest about it," Kiryu remembered that Ivy had said something to the same effect on Saturday. She had completely forgotten about it, because even then she still hadn't been listening. The female inwardly grimaced, but carried on pressing her friend.

"Come on, girl, don't act like this!" Kiryu pleaded, "We… It isn't like that! I've just been going through a rough patch right now."

"I'm sorry, but I think it's for the best. I'll be fine, and I'm sure that the Alley Cats are there to help you get through things," Ivy's tone hardened at the mention of the gang.

"No, they aren't! They really aren't!" Kiryu almost laughed at the irony. With a couple of other students crowding around, she was already getting déjà vu from Saturday. When Ivy didn't speak again, Kiryu glared and, before she could stop herself, said, "So you're just going to blow me off, huh? After all the work I've put in for you?" Ivy finally glanced up at her friend with a hurt expression, and Kiryu immediately bit her lip, regretting her words.

"I'm sorry, Kiryu, but we need to get our lives together," Ivy said, and Kiryu silently bowed her head. Before any more could be said, Ivy headed into the classroom, leaving her friend alone in the hallway once again.

While the last students were filing in, Kiryu turned away from the door and slid down the wall, pulling her hoodie tightly around her head. She juggled with the warnings and denouncements of several adults, telling her what would become of her, what potential she had wasted. Somehow, the words of a fellow sixteen-year-old girl held more spoke louder than all of the rest put together, telling Kiryu that everything she had feared about her situation was true. It was her fault that it had gotten this way. But now it was too late.

"…Miss Camilla?"

Kiryu brushed the hair covering her eyes and glanced up to see a concerned-looking Suki watching her. Standing a safe five feet away, she held a slip of paper in her hand. "Mm?" Kiryu mumbled, allowing her to deliver the message.

"You're, um, to follow me to the Dean's office, if you don't mind."

Of course she was.

* * *

Takumi restlessly paced around Dean Tamura's office, feeling like he was trapped in a prison cell. He stopped briefly to gaze out the window for that weak-willed secretary to return, sighed impatiently when she didn't appear, and resumed his striding around the room. The sooner this was over with, the sooner he would stop feeling the urge to kick himself for his stupid actions. The dean, himself, sat quietly at his desk, going through a large stack of paperwork. He looked much calmer than the professor nearby, but the noticeable sweat, staining his shirt and appearing on his forehead, betrayed him. When the wait became too unbearable for either of them, Tamura spoke up.

"I hope you realize, Mr. Genji, that this is for the good of the Academy."

"Of course," Takumi snapped, then took a breath to calm down. "I cannot fault your decision," this was partially a lie; the skilled Burst Warrior personally found the idea of designating a "fall guy" to be quite cowardly and, of course, weak. Then again, Takumi deserved every bit of blame he was receiving.

"You know that I had expected great things of you, Mr. Genji," the Dean said not unkindly, referring to the quick employment of Takumi as a professor, "and I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt when the other professors had debased you,"

"I assured you that I would not let you down, and I failed to meet that precedent. There's nothing more to it," his own irrational actions over the weekend were completely unacceptable to Takumi. He had caused severe property damage and injured over a dozen guests with his attack, and now that was to be reflected upon his place of employment, RéBURST Academy. While he felt no remorse for those who had joined in the debauchery in the manor, Takumi did regret the potential crisis that he had put the legacy of Sugawara Harmoni in. What was more, Takumi vowed to preserve the dean's reputation, asinine as it was, and the following consequences were the only way to keep his promise.

"Yes, well, that's right," Takumi had taken the words out of Tamura's mouth, "and you also know that if something like this happens again, I'll be unable to help you further. I'm taking an awful risk, Mr. Genji, but hopefully you'll be satisfied with getting what you want," Takumi drummed his fingers on the windowsill apprehensively but didn't respond. He had been surprised by the Dean's proposed solution to their situation. One that, theoretically, answered all of Takumi's demands regarding his teaching situation. In practice, however, the professor silently wished that he hadn't spoken up at all. He was effectively boxed in with a potentially disastrous situation for everyone involved.

The two ended their conversation as the office door opened, finally, by a miserable-looking Kiryu Camilla. Takumi stood behind the Dean while Kiryu slunk over and pulled up an uninvited chair in front of the large ebony desk. Once everyone was situated, Tamura cleared his throat and began.

"Miss Camilla, I'm glad to see you walking about," he greeted, "how are you feeling?"

"Sleepy," was the one-word response. Kiryu had leaned forward so that the hair covered part of her face, though Takumi could barely make out a loathing stare directed at him from behind the single purple lock. The dean nodded cordially.

"Well, that's understandable, given what you've recently gone through," he paused, but Kiryu didn't respond. Tapping his pen on the desk, Tamura continued awkwardly, "And… Those events are why I've called you here this afternoon. I'm to understand that, regarding the get-together two days ago, you acted as an instigator of sorts?"

"Who wants to know?" Takumi openly rolled his eyes, and felt the intensity of Miss Camilla's glare increase tenfold.

"You very well know, Miss Camilla, that you have broken several Academy policies, not to mention general laws, regarding underage drinking and use of drugs, correct?" the dean waited, yet Kiryu simply blew a strand of hair, hanging between her eyes, up over her head. Tamura looked at Takumi exasperatedly, but the teacher only gave a slight shrug in response. He wondered if this administrator had even met Miss Camilla before, as the student-base was so large. "I hope you understand," said Tamura, "that this entire fiasco reflects poorly on the Academy, and on all of the staff who work here. Things have already been spread so widely through word of mouth, we can't afford to publicize things even further."

"Sounds like an Academy problem," Kiryu quipped.

"No, it's everyone's problem-"

"So just cut to the chase and tell me how long I'm suspended for."

"I beg your pardon?" asked the dean.

"Students are only graced with your presence on three different occasions, _sir,_ " the student emphasized her mock respect for Tamura, who was now turning a slight shade of red, "Initiation, graduation, and being called down for suspension. The school year's just started, so I don't think I'm graduating anytime soon."

"That is one option, yes," the principal employed the same deep breath techniques that Takumi often used, "but that would only serve to bring even more attention to your actions, wouldn't it? Like I said, it's all our problem, and everyone's job to fix it," realizing that she might weasel her way out of being booted after all, Kiryu perked up a bit. She leaned back in her chair and folded her hands together, as if negotiating a business deal.

"What other options are there, then?" she asked. Tamura and Takumi took one last look at each other before laying the punishment out on the table.

"You can also choose a form of out-of-school detention, which will be supervised by Mr. Genji."

"What?!" Kiryu shot up from her chair, looking positively livid. Mr. Genji pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing.

When he was young, Takumi persistently asked his father to have a real, official Burst battle with him. Not just daily, training, but an actual fight. He believed that he was strong enough to go toe-to-toe with his old man. When neither Takumi nor his Pokémon could walk without limping for a week afterwards, his father gave him some very relevant advice to the current situation: _be careful what you wish for._

"You've got to be kidding me," Kiryu leaned forward and slammed her palms on the desk, forcing the dean to scoot backward awkwardly. "No dice, I'll take my suspension, please."

"Miss Camilla, we're trying to be reasonable with you," Tamura started, "You're a talented student, and we don't want that to go to waste."

"Did he put you up to this?" the girl pointed at Takumi, but he sniffed condescendingly and shook his head.

"On the contrary, the exact opposite is true," yes, Takumi admitted to himself, he had made his qualms about public education known and expressed his desire for a more private curriculum. The thing was, if he could've had any single other student, Takumi would have been satisfied. Instead he was left with the most obtuse, irritating brat in the school as his potential pupil. Kiryu looked back over at the dean, hand still outstretched in Takumi's direction.

"Yeah, well, did he tell you everything else that happened on Saturday? How he-"

"I've heard quite enough, Miss Camilla," Takumi felt shame in allowing the dean to act ignorant for the sake of his own reputation, but he had to endure it in order to pay for his outburst at the manor.

"This is all some kind of cover-up, isn't it?" the teacher had predicted that Kiryu would be familiar enough with the laws of public image to sniff out the dean's ruse, and he was proven right once again.

"The bottom line is, Miss Camilla," Tamura's voice grew an edge, "that you have a choice: go to this… extracurricular activity or be suspended. And I don't need to remind you that your tuition is non-refundable."

"I… Aaah," Miss Camilla paused at this new development. It seemed like the dean had finally made an impact with his last point. A part of Takumi pondered on who was paying for Kiryu's education in the first place. Nevertheless, with the angry cat subdued for now, the two administrators enacted their final resolution.

"If I might interrupt," Takumi spoke up, "Mr. Tamura and I had already considered allowing some time for you to consider your options," Kiryu watched him dubiously, wondering what the catch could be. "Perhaps a meeting, outside of the Academy, is due so that you might convince yourself of the best course of action," as soon as he finished, Takumi could almost see the escape plans forming in the teen's brain, now that she had an extra day to prepare. He added, "A _mandatory_ meeting."

"Oh yeah?" Kiryu questioned, "And what if I don't show up?"

"Then you will be facing a suspension period bordering on the permanent, Miss Camilla," Takumi suddenly raised his voice, causing the two other persons to flinch and the dean to look at him disapprovingly. Takumi's new threat was complete improv, but it had the desired effect. Kiryu made sure to give him one more malicious stare, but her shoulders dropped in resignation.

"Yeah, I suppose it couldn't hurt," she mumbled, resuming her heads-down position. Mr. Tamura seemed quite relieved.

"Excellent, it's all set. Now," he quickly delved into the semantics of their plan, "Miss Camilla, just to make sure that nothing goes awry with this first meeting, I'd like you to be escorted by one of my staff," Kiryu made an inaudible grumble but didn't object. "The only question is, which one is to escort you…"

"You two," Takumi ordered and pointed toward the wall near the doorframe, where two secretaries were trying to eavesdrop from behind. Both of them fell out of their spinning chairs, surprised at being caught. "One of you accompany Miss Camilla tomorrow," one of them, Lucille something-or-other, managed to stand up and disappear behind the wall before her colleague, Miss Harmoni. Flustered, the granddaughter of the founder stood up and stuttered softly.

"Very well, Suki. Mr. Genji will be sure to give you the address," Tamura waved at her absentmindedly before turning back to Takumi and Kiryu. "So, you're both willing to work together?" he surprised Takumi with sharp regard and repeated, " _both_ of you?"

"Yes," Takumi muttered, glancing at his shoes, while Kiryu nodded silently.

"Very good. You're dismissed, Miss Camilla. Thank you for your cooperation," the female wordlessly stood up and left the office, allowing the door to slam loudly behind her. Takumi and the dean waited for the second door leading outside to close. After a couple seconds, Tamura turned back to his paperwork, but addressed Takumi sternly.

"She's your responsibility, now. If there's any more trouble, then there will be nothing more I can do."

"I understand," Takumi acquiesced, "anything to preserve Sugawara's legacy. I will not let you down," the vigilante shuffled out of the room, leaving the dean to his paperwork. Much like when he had challenged his father, Takumi might have just overestimated his own abilities.

* * *

The next evening, Kiryu crawled towards the Academy entrance at a snail's pace to meet her babysitter, Suki. As she walked alone she considered, for the umpteenth time, hopping the gate and sneaking away to blow off the entire ridiculous ordeal. She knew, however, that even if her tormentor had been bluffing, she couldn't risk expulsion from RéBURST Academy. Still, being strong-armed into some kind of private tutoring with Takumi to save the spineless Dean was not helping her mood, nor her self-confidence as of late. At least she had become aware that Takumi hated being around her as much as she did him. She allowed herself a hollow chuckle at the idea that she and Takumi could bond over their forced positions.

Suki was at the metal gate, standing so still that, with her pale white skin, she could've been mistaken for a marble statue. Kiryu headed over to her, straightening her back and trying not to look as glum as she felt. She was about to give make some witty remark about needing a chaperone when the secretary's Ninetales materialized from behind the gate and began snarling at the former thief. Kiryu stopped in her tracks and raised her arms in surrender, glaring at Suki to call off her Pokémon.

"Oh, um, down, Kitsune," Suki hesitantly placed a hand on the Fire type's head to calm him down. Its name is Kitsune, Kiryu thought? How original. Once the Ninetale's hostile snarling had been taken down to a low growl, Kiryu put her hands down and turned to Suki, only to find the woman studying her as cautiously as the dog was.

"Come on, let's get this over with," Kiryu urged impatiently, "Where the hell are we meeting him?"

"Right, I'm sorry," Suki snapped back to attention, unfolding a piece of paper with an address and directions, "It's over this way, at a café. Um… Follow me," she went out the gateway and took a right, heading westward. Her Ninetales followed, making sure to slap Kiryu with two of its titular appendages. The Alley Cat groaned to herself and walked behind them.

After several silent minutes of following Suki's suspect directions, Kiryu got bored of watching the people walking home from work and decided to break her vow of silence for the past couple days and have a conversation.

"So, uh, do you do work for Takumi often?" Suki practically jumped out of her skin at the sound of Kiryu's bored voice while her Ninetales twisted around and resumed its snarling, teeth bared.

"N-no," Suki eeked out, and Kiryu raised her eyebrows concernedly.

"…Riiight," she drawled. Then, taking a step closer, Kiryu said, "You know, Suki, I'm not going to Bite you or anything," the receptionist gave a thin smile in acknowledgement.

"No, just mug me is all," Kiryu's catlike hearing picked up that bit of sass from the shy woman, and she couldn't help but give a cynical laugh. Suki blushed, apparently not having meant to say that out loud.

"I won't mug you, either. Don't worry!" Kiryu assured her, "And it was just for a job, you know? No hard feelings, alright?" by the sound of the giant fox behind her, there may still be some hard feelings after all. Suki didn't respond and turned back down the sidewalk. Kiryu and Kitsune stepped lightly to catch up with her.

"Oh, come on," Kiryu continued, "You're a Harmoni, aren't you? You should have tons of money, anyways."

"Well, I prefer to live off of my own salary," Suki retorted, though Kiryu knew that she had to be receiving some stipend from her famous family in some form.

"Well I won't be getting into more trouble than I'm already in, so you can rest easy," the student reassured. "But we really did need that money, just so you know."

"For your party?" Suki asked, and the half-smile vanished from Kiryu's face.

"Yeah, something like that…"

"Were there lots of people there?" Kiryu had to prevent herself from running into Suki, who had now stopped on the sidewalk and was staring at Kiryu, unconsciously brushing her hands through her ponytail. "Did you hang out with your friends?" Given the circumstances, Kiryu would've normally attempted to punch Suki in the stomach, yell at her, or maybe break down in tears. Any option would do. However, Suki had asked the question with such innocence, and had looked at Kiryu with such genuine interest, that the teen couldn't help but overlook it and respond.

"Yeah, we hung out a bit," Kiryu nodded slightly, "took a car ride, played some 'pong," she stopped herself before having to go through anything that happened later on that night. Suki seemed satisfied with her answer and gave a longing smile. Kiryu crossed her arms and tapped her foot, waiting for her attendant to break out of whatever fantasy daydream she was in.

"Oh, we're almost there," Suki finally came back to earth and stepped down the road once more. Curious about the woman's sudden interest in Kiryu's social life, the Burst Warrior strolled up next to Suki to tease some more info out of her.

"Of course, I suppose that a pretty dame like yourself had a bit of a wild side in high school, am I right?" Kiryu asked nonchalantly.

"Home-schooled," the 20-year-old corrected, her voice barely above a whisper once more, "And no, not really."

"Huh, I see," Kiryu intoned, and disappointedly let the matter drop.

"It's just around the corner," the two turned down the road and came to an apartment complex attached to a series of other buildings. On the ground floor of the residential building was a small café where a golden awning hung above several display windows. The smell of coffee and sweets wafted across the street when the door opened. The apartments and restaurant were directly next to more office buildings, creating the usual backstreets that Kiryu had grown used to. Kiryu couldn't help but notice a window on the third floor with a jagged hole in the glass, hastily covered with plywood.

"Don't worry, this shouldn't take too long… I hope," Suki said, and headed into the café. A bright jingle from a bell signaled her entrance. Kiryu sighed once more and followed Suki inside, for what would be yet another miserable round of name-calling with Takumi Genji.

...

From across the street, a Burst Warrior watched the two go inside and take a seat with Takumi. All three of them, conveniently brought together by chance, ripe for the attacking. He had been tailing Kiryu and Suki since they had left the Academy, and soon they'd have nowhere to run. Blending in with the crowd of people along the sidewalk, the Burst Warrior signaled towards his boys and prepared to exact his revenge.

* * *

 **The PokePlayers forum was created, based on my most accurate sources, August 6th, 2012, meaning that its sixth anniversary was thirteen days ago. That's exactly seven months before I made my first appearance on March 6th, 2013. You know how the ancient Egyptians lasted over 550 years, but more recent empires usually only get a few decades? Well, "Ancient PokePlayers" feels exactly like that: an extremely long era of prehistory, where so many things happened to shape the future of the forum compared to the much shorter, recent time periods.**

 **Technically, the first member to join, besides the owner, currently has the name "NightWolfDragon," though the nickname coined by us was "Yoshi," based on a long-forgotten username (do you see why I love looking at the history of this place so much?). But in actuality, early PokePlayers was dominated by the "Big Three" users, the three that ended up enduring the test of time. They were MewMewExorcist, Bladewielder05 and Okami Amaterasu Omikami, the creators of Kiryu, Takumi and Suki, respectively. That "Big Three" was later changed to six, with yours truly being the youngest of the group, but we'll get to them another time.**

 **Obviously, I can't speak for those that were there for those first seven months, but I can give my perspective on what I'm still able to read. The sheer amount of RPing, good RPing, mind you, that happened in such a short period of time will forever have my respect, as will the friendship that I was eventually able to be a part of, binding us as a community. It's why we still try to periodically revive the forum, and it all started in 2012. I was still playing _Minecraft_ at the time, and they were creating characters that I'm using for this very rewrite! Imagine that.**

 **But enough nostalgia: time for an announcement. I hate making these, because I feel that it'll put the death sentence on the story, but there might not be any updates for a longer period of time. I'm finally headed off to college, and have no idea how crowded or stressful my schedule will be. There's no guarantee that updates will be slower, heck they might even increase as a coping mechanism, but I thought that I'd let my readers know about a potential hiatus. Thank you all for reading, liking and reviewing my walks down memory lane.**


	7. Don't Take Me Alive

The two ladies walked into the café and immediately found their host situated at a table near the front window. From the sickly-sweet smell of cheap baked goods, Kiryu reasoned that the bistro normally served breakfast to the Academy students living in the apartments above. Her observation was confirmed by the few people sitting inside, as it was far too late in the afternoon for doughnuts and scones. The suffocating stench of those various foods did nothing to settle Kiryu's stomach, already churning at the prospect of the upcoming meeting.

One person who didn't seem to mind the atmosphere was Mr. Genji, nonchalantly eating a large piece of strawberry shortcake, of all things, by cutting the pastry into neat squares with his fork and eating each piece one by one. Much more characteristically, he didn't even bother to acknowledge either female's presence. Suki hesitantly sat down in a chair opposite from Takumi, Kiryu flopping down next to her shortly after. The cheery café decorations did little to lessen the unspoken tension between the three.

While Suki raised a hesitant hand to order some tea and Kiryu bore her eyes into his head from across the table, Takumi chose to completely ignore both girls and instead finished his cake before speaking. Seeing this, Kiryu scoffed and leaned her elbow on the armrest of the chair, only to feel a sharp burning sensation along her arm. She flinched and glared downwards to see Suki's Ninetales, Kitsune, growling softly at Kiryu. Each breath sent embers from the fox's nostrils onto Kiryu's skin. She scowled at the Pokémon, crossing her arms away from the Fire type. All that was left was to wait expectantly for Takumi as he finished his meal.

"I suppose we should work out a time for your training, then," Mr. Genji finally placed his fork down and threw Kiryu a half-interested glance. "Private lessons will begin at five o'clock on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday-"

"Woah, woah woah, slow down there, buddy," Kiryu waved her hands across the table while Takumi's brow furrowed. "We haven't decided on anything yet. You're supposed to be selling me on this punishment right now." The professor gave a despondent shake of the head.

"I'm afraid the conclusion is foregone, Miss Camilla," he explained. "You go through my training regime, or be faced with suspension, pending on expulsion," the reminder of her options caused Kiryu to pause, though she tried to hide the hesitation. Her tormentor in the wooden chair seemed to catch on anyways and eyed her questioningly, examining the change in attitude. Feeling caught under the microscope, Kiryu pressed onwards, less aggressively,

"Yeah, well, it beats extra classwork with you. Plus, I don't need the Academy; I can take care of myself," that one caused the male to give her an incredulous stare, and Kiryu was reminded that Takumi hadn't exactly seen her greatest feats out on the street. But she knew her own strength: she was an Alley Cat, after all. Tentatively, that is. "Besides, maybe I don't want to be an accomplice in your boss's little coverup."

"I could care less about the Dean's reputation in a fiasco that you started, Miss Camilla."

"But _you_ were the one that went off the deep end, _Mr. Genji_ ," Kiryu countered mockingly, "All because of some stupid scarf, remember?" she saw Takumi's hand instinctively grab the clothing still wrapped around his neck, right next to the large amateur seam sewn down the middle of the fabric. The teacher's face flashed that same livid expression that she had seen last Saturday, and Kiryu tried not to flinch. Half of her wanted to duck in fear of flying plates, the other wanted to see the teacher get arrested for Blizzarding the entire café. Takumi, unfortunately, remained seated, white knuckles wrapped around the garment.

"That," he took a deep breath through his nose, "is all well and good, Miss Camilla, but it doesn't change your position in this matter. The person paying your tuition would not be happy to hear of your expulsion, whoever that may be," Kiryu's long nails dug into the underside of the wooden table.

"My mother," she growled through gritted teeth, but refused to go into a rage like she normally did. As cold as she felt to admit it, the mention of her mother's name had lost a bit of its impact after it was shouted at her for almost two hours straight by her sister. Instead, Kiryu attempted to use Takumi's inquiry against him. "You seem a bit interested in my bloodline, eh Mr. Genji?"

"I learned of your mother's fame through faculty gossip," Takumi explained simply.

"Oh yeah?" she asked with a smirk. "From the same teachers who wanted you canned?" Takumi didn't respond, though his face darkened further. She was right on the money. Kiryu had no idea what her arguing was accomplishing, but it felt good to press the one thing that made the professor squirm.

"And don't get the wrong idea," she continued at the sight of Takumi's accusatory face. The girl leaned in on the table as if she were passing on a trade secret, "I didn't tell those professors to say anything they weren't already thinking about. Just gave them a little push in the right direction, that's how much they hate you."

"Enough evasion," Takumi's tone sharpened. Straightening his back, the man sat forward and looked Kiryu directly in the eyes, which Kiryu returned with her usual stubbornness. "I don't believe that you are in any position to argue, Miss Camilla. What qualms could you possibly have with this relatively light punishment?"

"What are you, dense?" Kiryu raised her voice and tapped her fingers on the table with every word. "I. Don't. Like. You. I'm not going to your lame private lessons and just hear you insult me and mess with my life even more." Takumi put a hand to his temple and responded, with equal disbelief,

"Believe it or not, Kiryu, I don't much appreciate your company, either. I didn't even suggest the idea of tutoring someone weak like you."

"The tea's getting cold…" Suki muttered, despondently glancing around the rest of the shop.

"Yeah, 'weak like you,' that's always a real hit with the students," Kiryu leaned back in her chair and pantomimed, "No wonder the Academy staff loves you so much.", Behind them, the bell on the front door jingled. Suki did a double take.

"I've never claimed to be teacher of the year," the student raised her eyebrows skeptically, "but these difficulties are only the consequences of a lacking curriculum. I can assure you that my skills are much better suited for individual tutoring, which is why I advocate for it-"

"Yeah, then you could focus your abuse on one person without those pesky outside distractions," the teen mocked, rolling her eyes. Takumi scowled.

"…And yet, I get stuck with an insolent brat as the only means to promote my methods."

"Er, Mr. Genji…" Suki asked quietly, but it seemed like both Burst Warriors had completely forgotten about her. Kiryu slammed an aggravated arm on the table, covering any sound that Suki could muster up.

"I'm pretty sure you just picked the wrong profession, _Mr. Genji,_ " for a moment, the female thought that she had just seen Takumi flinch, "and did you seriously just equate your students to tools?"

"That's not what I meant," Takumi growled, turning away in disgust. Kiryu smirked at the small victory, but soon lapsed into a bitter silence. She glowered at the male across from her, simultaneously sizing him up for another verbal assault and wondering why she was fighting in the first place. She had gone into the building resigned to the fate of being Takumi's pupil. She was fully aware that she couldn't just waste the money her mother had saved for her, yet the moment she sat down, the girl realized that she just couldn't stand the sight of Takumi's pale face. This arrogant, strict, self-righteous vigilante was the complete polar opposite of her, and now Kiryu was fully aware that he loathed her as much as she loathed him. Even with the threat of expulsion, you just can't mix water and oil.

"You two, I-"

"This is ridiculous," Suki was cut off once more as Takumi spoke again, this time much sterner. "You're acting childish, Miss Camilla, and proving every assumption I've made of you thus far."

"Thank you, I care so much about your opinions," Kiryu replied dryly.

"Yes, well, it's time to be an adult. I stopped your petty crime spree: it's no reason to be bullheaded and throw your education away."

"That's easy for you to say!" Kiryu suddenly shifted and glared back at Takumi, set off once again by his lack of understanding. "You didn't just stop some theft, you went out of your way to ruin my life!" her old emotions, thought to have been buried by her depression the past few days, resurfaced with a vengeance.

"You did that to yourself," Takumi hissed, irises glinting dangerously from having to repeat himself. Kiryu responded by springing up from the table, causing Suki to jump in her seat and Takumi to stoically raise his head to meet her gaze.

"No, I didn't," Kiryu said lowly. She had previously come to terms to her own hand in recent events, but that all fell to the wayside as a sudden flare of emotions burst open in her chest. Words spilled out of her mouth, encouraged by that hatred of Takumi, "I'm talking about before then, when you appeared out of nowhere, messing with my life! Switching things around, changing me and my Alley Cats and Ivy! My life has gone to shit since you've meddled with it!"

"You don't like change? And you think that I've had it any better?" Takumi didn't miss a beat, his voice adopting the tone from his previous denouncement of her. "You think that I like living in a dark apartment, buried in paperwork and surrounded by people who hate me? I'd love to go back to Sinnoh, Miss Camilla, but here I am, stuck at this godforsaken Academy…" the black-haired vigilante trailed off, and the teen felt herself pause. For whatever reason, Takumi's words caused her to falter.

"…W-well, you sure have adjusted well!" She eventually blurted hurriedly. Once again, the student was too caught up in her own emotions to stop and think about what had given her a moment of doubt. The insults continued to tumble out. "All you've done is hurt my classmates and friends!"

"…" Takumi folded his hands together, falling deep into thought before answering. "… No matter what I do, and even if I falter, I genuinely wish to connect with my students, Miss Camilla."

"I don't believe you," Kiryu crossed her arms defiantly at his lament, "You're just here to use us as tools."

"That's not true," the teacher stated sharply, standing up from his own chair and looking down on Kiryu. The sixteen-year-old took a sudden step back, away from the silhouette of her tormentor.

"You said it yourself," she seethed, pointing an accusatory finger at the professor in the longcoat, "we're just a means to an end. That's all this is tutoring crap is, too, and I'm not falling for it!" Kiryu spat at the man's face, then quickly dodged around the table and out of a side exit.

"Kiryu!" Takumi gave a frustrated shout and made to grab her, but the student was long gone out the door. Takumi angrily grabbed a napkin to wipe the saliva off his cheek while Suki shyly stood up, leaving her half-empty cup on the table.

"Mr. Genji, maybe we should-" Suki's whisper was cut off once more as Takumi roughly wrapped a hand around her wrist.

"Follow her, she's under our responsibility right now," he dragged the stuttering secretary through the crowd of patrons that had slowly gathered around the debacle. Suki's Ninetales barked threateningly at Takumi touching his trainer, but followed the two in their pursuit of Kiryu.

* * *

The side exit didn't lead back onto the street, but rather into a small round courtyard surrounded by the apartment complex and other adjoining buildings. Similar to the Alley Cat hideaway, the area was completely cut off from the outside world save for a smaller passageway that lead onto the street. The stone area was mostly barren save for a dumpster and a few plants growing out of the cracks in the ground. Suki and Takumi entered the area just in time to see Kiryu disappear down the alleyway towards the main street.

"Mr. Genji, wait-" Suki tried to speak louder, but had her breath taken away by Takumi yanking her into the dimly-lit alley towards the outside world. At this point, the woman began struggling against the Burst Warrior's grip, trying anything to get his attention. Takumi remained stone-faced, focused on catching up to Kiryu before she ran away. "Takumi, stop…" he didn't bother acknowledging her, but grit his teeth in annoyance. "I need to tell you something!"

"What could possibly be that important, Miss Harmoni?!" Takumi abruptly halted, causing Suki to run into his back, and impatiently responded to her pleas. Suki's speech briefly reverted to stuttering as she struggled to compose herself. In that split second, however, both Kitsune and Takumi seemed to pick up something with equally natural instinct. The vigilante whirled his head towards the exit of the alleyway and suddenly seemed very alarmed.

"Kiryu, stop!" the teen gave an irritated glance back at Takumi calling out to her, but merely rolled her eyes and began to run forwards. Just as she went to take a step, however, she was suddenly hit by the force of a Charizard Burst slamming the ground in front of her. Kiryu barely managed to dodge backwards thanks to her own Burst Warrior training and avoided getting her leg crushed by Ben. The gang leader's next move was to laugh maliciously, letting out a fiery cloud of cinders straight into the face of the teen in front of him. Kiryu cried out in alarm as the heat burned her skin, and she stumbled backwards several more steps to avoid getting injured.

"Would ya look what the cat dragged in!" Ben continued chortling at his own wit. "She brought us the guy who threw us in jail," he motioned at Takumi, "and the snitch who set us up!" his claw pointed towards Suki. Kiryu's blood began to boil, feeling the more traditional anger that usually came from being outfoxed by the rival street power.

"Mr. Uendo, there's no time for this. You will let us pass this instant," Takumi met the dragon's amused gaze with a determined scowl, already analyzing his past opponent once more. Kiryu glared with a less critical eye, searching for the easiest spot on the Charizard to hit with a roundhouse kick. Leave it up to Ben to pick fights as soon as he's out of trouble with the law. Suki frantically swiveled her head from Ben to the café door behind her like she was watching a tennis match.

"I'm not one to waste a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like this, Teach," Ben answered Takumi, "I've got unfinished business with all three of you, and this saves me the trouble of tracking you down one-by-one."

"I don't know what you're smiling about, dumbass," Kiryu stepped forward and tried to get a rise out of her rival, "You're gonna have to fight two Burst Warriors here, and we've both beaten the crap out of you before!" Unfortunately, Ben seemed a bit too confident to fall for the threat.

"Your Alley Cats aren't here, bitch! Never will be again, from what I've heard," Kiryu bared her teeth and grabbed Liepard's Burst Heart as Ben moved onto Takumi. "And you, Genji, I'm not alone this time, and I'm not the only one who wants revenge, either," right on cue, three flashes of light appeared from the main street behind Ben, and soon enough the Charizard Burst was flanked with the silhouettes of Leafeon, Electivire and Machoke Burst Warriors.

"Figures," Kiryu muttered, Bursting with Liepard. From behind, Suki gave a panicked gasp, and Kiryu looked back to see two more humans appearing from the café exit into the courtyard, Ben's partner in crime Hideji leading the way. The entire Burst Beat gang was here, and they had just surrounded the trio. Kiryu tried to keep a poker face but remained inwardly pragmatic: she began scanning the environment for a good place to stage an escape. Her search was halted, however, by the prodigy teacher stepping in front of her and putting a hand underneath his coat.

"Mr. Uendo, I suggest that you call off your lackeys or suffer the consequences," Takumi bravely held his arm out in front of the two females behind him. How noble, Kiryu thought sarcastically. Though, if being the damsel in distress meant watching Takumi get pummeled over a heroic sacrifice, then that was a reasonable price to pay.

"Can't say that I'm too worried," Ben chuckled, showing his razor-sharp fangs, "by the time we're through with you, the wiring in your jaw'll stop you from speaking to the cops! If you remember anything at all," the Beatniks guffawed, and Kiryu only wished that they didn't have the strength to back up their cliché smack-talk. On Takumi's part, he showed absolutely no acknowledgement of the taunt, as if he had already planned on their denial of peace.

"Stay behind me," he briefly looked backwards at the two. Suki nodded eagerly at the order, Kitsune was focused on the two thugs at their rear, and Kiryu only glowered suspiciously back at him. Takumi's hand came out of his coat, holding a green and white Burst Heart that Kiryu hadn't seen before. This guy had _four_ Burst Hearts?! Most people barely kept up with two…

"We're fighting it out, then?" Kiryu asked, heart pumping in anticipation. Though the teen still planned on ditching him at the first opportunity, she was fully aware that she couldn't face the entire group alone. That said, her apprehensions about her reluctant ally hadn't faded, "I suppose you think that I'm gonna watch your back or something, Mr. Genji?"

"Not at all," Takumi answered casually, walking towards the four Burst Warriors blocking the exit. "These poor excuses for Burst Warriors are weak. I can handle them myself," Kiryu opened her mouth to ask if Takumi had learned nothing about kill stealing but stopped as the sound of a Pokéball went off behind her.

"What do you think you're doing, Teach?" Ben called out as the lone person stopped only a few paces away from him. The leader's grin didn't falter, but a couple of the gang members behind him regarded the professor dubiously, getting into fighting stances. "You're seriously going to play hero for the street rat?"

"As you already know, I despise Burst Warriors who abuse their ability," Takumi monologued, taking a battle pose of his own. "The only reason that I bother with weak Warriors like yourselves," he placed the Burst Heart to his forehead, "is to make you pay for your dishonor."

A flash of light filled the area, but the Gallade Burst was already on the move before the Burst Beats' eyes could adjust. Only by the sheer animal instinct of his Pokémon did Ben feel himself get pulled back to avoid the lighting-fast attack, much faster than any average Gallade could manage. He unceremoniously landed just outside the alleyway next to his three companions. There was no time to lose as Takumi fell right back into step and continued charging the Burst Beat leader. Shock gave way to desperation as Ben yelled for the Beatniks to attack, and Takumi's charge was momentarily halted as his pathway became blocked by Electivire, Machoke and Leafeon.

The Machoke Burst fell in first, sending a Karate Chop at Takumi's side. The Gallade Burst simply stuck out the back end of his blade and completely halted the attack. The front end of the Psychic type's appendage followed shortly after by smashing into the Machoke's face with enough force to knock the Burst Warrior backwards. Next came Electivire, the only foreign Pokémon of the group besides Ben's Charizard, using its signature Thunder Punch at Takumi's flank. The professor gracefully dodged under the Electric type's fist and delivered an upward slash, forcing the heavy Pokémon to topple backwards. That same blade fell on top of the Leafeon Burst, cutting off its Quick Attack and sending the Grass type onto the ground. Ben entered the battle with a Fire Fang, only for Takumi to duck under his snapping jaws and sweep the legs out from under a rapidly approaching Machoke Burst.

With the other three Beatniks temporarily incapacitated, Takumi turned back towards the leader, both of his blades lighting up with the purple light of Psycho Cut. Ben cried out in anger as he almost tripped backwards to avoid several swipes by the Gallade Burst. Despite Ben's slight speed advantage, Takumi's attacks were much too intense for the Blaze Pokémon to prepare a move. Instead, the dragon took to the sky, halting his opponent's momentum with a gust of wind from his wings. The Blade Pokémon ended his attack and immediately fired off a Magical Leaf at the retreating Burst Warrior. Ben laughed and spat out an Ember in response. The miniature fireball blasted through the leaves and slammed into Takumi's face before he could dodge. Cheek sizzling, the Gallade attempted to respond but became engaged with a newly recovered Electivire and Machoke on the ground. Safe from danger, the Beatnik leader settled for sniping at the lone Burst Warrior while his men finished the dirty work.

* * *

Kiryu had turned around too late to see the Lairon charging at the two girls. The confines of the alley left them unable to dodge and completely defenseless. Suki gave a frightened _"eek!"_ and covered her face with her hands, but it was Kitsune who came in clutch and launched a Flamethrower at the charging Steel type. The Larion cried out and fell off to the side, giving Suki and Kiryu time to move out of the alley and into the round, stone courtyard. Suki's Ninetales used another Flamethrower in the direction of Hideji, but the teen had already Bursted with his Pidgeot and dodged the attack by flying upwards, above the rooftops surrounding the enclosure.

The Liepard Burst, meanwhile, had thoroughly studied the small plaza and concluded that she wouldn't be able to parkour her way out of the battle. She had no choice but to fight, meaning that she'd need some help to get out alive.

"Take the Lairon, Suki. I'll try to handle the Burst Warrior," her order broke Suki out of her paralyzed state, the secretary biting her lip and giving an unconfident nod. Kiryu dashed off and the older woman began directly ordering her Pokémon.

"Fire Spin, Kitsune!" the dog opened its mouth and let off a miniature tornado of flames towards the opposing Pokémon.

"Protect!" the Lairon, directed by its own Beatnik trainer, stood its ground and conjured up an invisible barrier in front of itself. Kitsune's attack was halted by the defensive move and immediately dissipated into the air. On the other end of the courtyard, Kiryu skidded to a halt underneath the flying Burst Warrior.

"Give it up, Hideji, Liepard eats birds for breakfast! I've got the evolutionary advantage!"

"Think so, huh?" Hideji smirked and gave a mightly flap of his wings. The small space left Kiryu unable to dodge, resulting in the bitter sting of stones and debris from the Gust attack. The Pidgeot followed this up by swooping downwards with Wing Attack, only for Kiryu to duck under the glowing feathers and land a Pursuit across Hideji's retreating back.

As her opponent flew up into the sky for another Gust, Kiryu quickly realized that the same problem in her escape plan also plagued her battle with Hideji; all he had to do was stay in the air, and she had no means to fight back. The Burst Beat seemed to quickly figure this out as well, as he maintained his height above the Liepard Burst and continued to blow a series of Gusts downwards. The Dark type could do nothing but withstand the Flying attacks and wait for an opportunity.

"Take Down, Lairon!"

"Flamethrower!"

The Rock/Steel type began its charge at Kitsune once again, only to be blasted by a stream of flames. The intense Fire attack completely halted Lairon's tackle, leaving it to shake off an immense amount of pain. The Fox Pokémon swiftly began charging up another flame attack.

"Don't let it hit you again! Rock Tomb!" the trainer pointed at the Ninetales across the field. His Pokémon slammed its front paws into the ground, loosing several huge rocks from underground and sending them flying towards Kitsune.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!" the Fire type raced forwards at lightning speed, trying to simultaneously avoid the dangerous Rock type move and land a hit on his opponent. Though Kitsune succeeded in swerving around the Rock Tomb, the enemy Larion simply coated itself with Iron Defense, making the Quick Attack equivalent to running into an iron wall. This was immediately followed up with a Headbutt, launching a bruised Kitsune back to his side of the courtyard. Things were not starting off well for Kiryu and Suki.

* * *

Takumi's four opposing Burst Warriors had now formed tactical positions to take out the inhumanly talented Gallade Burst. While Electivire and Machoke tried to directly engage the Fighting/Psychic type, Ben and the Leafeon Warrior stood and flew at a distance, providing ranged support for their comrades.

Machoke threw a punch at Takumi's face, only for his fist to be caught between the Gallade's two blade-arms. Electivire rushed in with a Low Kick of his own, only for Takumi to jump over the Burst Warrior's stubby legs before pushing the restrained Machoke off to the side. In yet another split second, Takumi whirled around and slashed at the Electivire Burst with Fury Cutter, but his opponent managed to raise his forearms to block. Takumi broke off his assault to avoid a barrage of Dragon Rage attacks from Ben, the purple fireballs exploding right where the vigilante had momentarily been standing. From behind, the Superpower Pokémon lunged forwards to tackle Takumi with Submission only to get completely redirected backwards by a simple Confusion attack from the Psychic type. The Burst Beat was knocked into some nearby trash cans, leaving Takumi the space to focus on his other electrifying opponent.

The Electivire Burst held his palms out, sending a paralyzing current towards enemy. Immediately recognizing the Thunder Wave attack, Takumi skipped backwards to the brick wall of the alley to avoid the status condition. Then, like a diver at a pool's edge, he placed a foot on the wall and kicked off, flying under a series of Razor Leaves and into the Electivire's chest. There, he delivered a Night Slash, giving several blinding strikes to the Thunderbolt Pokémon's face.

"Get… Off of me!" he gasped in pain, loosing a Shockwave of electric energy from his waist and causing the zapped Gallade to end his onslaught. The Electric type followed up with Thunder Punch, only for each swing to be blocked by a Slash from an instantly-recovered Takumi. The professor was seemingly unstoppable, taking absolutely no pause to avoid and block each hit from his main opponent, simultaneously weaving around several Flame Burst and Razor Leaf strikes from the sidelines.

Absolutely fed up with the circus monkey of a Burst Warrior, the Electivire attempted his second signature move. His two tails sprung to life, wrapping around towards Takumi, intending to embed into his flesh for a crippling Thunderbolt. Catching the jumper cables out of the corner of his eye, Takumi halted his engagement and folded his blades together, immediately disappearing into thin air. The two cables slammed into the sidewalk concrete, causing the Electivire Burst to grimace in pain. Takumi Teleported back into existence behind the Electric type feet-first and landed a stunning kick right into the plug design on the Pokémon's back. The gang member fell forward onto the ground, leaving one Leafeon Burst's mouth agape. Takumi slowly turned his head back towards the Grass type.

"Who's next?" he asked calmly, sending chills down the Beatnik's spine. Nevertheless, he valiantly held up an arm and activated Leaf Blade, causing a sword-like burst of green energy to wrap around his forearm. Takumi fully stepped around to meet his opponent, activated his own dual-sided Leaf Blade, and flashed a menacing smirk.

* * *

Kitsune loosed a series of fireballs across the courtyard, only to watch them be absorbed by yet another Protect. Suki commanded her Ninetales to use Flamethrower as the shield disappeared but was surprised by Hideji swooping down, well out of reach of Kiryu, right into the oncoming attack. His wings, glowing clear with Mirror Move, intercepted the flames and redirected them back at the opposing Liepard Burst. The strange attack caught Kiryu completely off-guard, and she was subsequently scorched by Kitsune's own attack. Suki whispered an apology and blushed.

At wit's end, Kiryu bounded towards the Pidgeot Burst, already back in the sky. She leapt into a corner of the alley and dug her claws into the brick, attempting to wall-jump her way up to the Flying type. Hideji twittered at the attempt and blasted the cat with a funnel of air, knocking her back onto the ground with Whirlwind.

The Dark type barely landed on her feet, bemoaning the hopelessness of her predicament. While Hideji latched onto a lofty windowsill to Roost, Kiryu paced below, trying to deduce some method to kicking this bird's ass. She was trapped in a vertical battlefield, allowing Hideji to practically shoot fish in a barrel. He had no reason to be baited down to melee range, and Kiryu had no attacks that could reach him. Escape still wasn't an option, either, with Takumi's battle somehow still going on in the background (though she was begrudgingly grateful that Ben and the other Beatniks hadn't joined her in the courtyard yet). Much like Takumi's Cinccino, Kiryu needed some ranged move like Hyper Voice to bait Hideji into getting closer… She suddenly took notice of Suki's partner Pokémon.

"Dodge, Lairon!" the Burst Beat directed his Pokémon to skid off to the side of another Fire Spin, its metal feet screeching along the stone as it barely slid out of the way. That's when a Liepard Burst suddenly appeared from the shadows and latched herself onto the Rock type's back, making both human and Pokémon gasp in surprise.

"Suki… Switch," Kiryu managed to call out despite being whipped around by a bucking Lairon. Kiryu attempted Night Slash, only to blunt her own claws along the metal from the not very effective move. Suki watched the turn of events uncomprehendingly for a second until the words registered, and she gave an affirmative shake of the head.

"Kitsune, Flamethower on Pidgeot!" the Fire type obediently switched targets and loosed the attack upwards, out of the enclave. The Pidgeot Burst squawked at the incoming flames and tried to batter them away with Gust, but the strong move powered through and roasted the bird Pokémon, making him cry out in pain.

"Get the hell off my Pokémon!" the single Pokémon Trainer of Ben's group said, stomping his foot in indignation. His partner roared and continued to try and throw Kiryu off, but the dexterous cat hung on for dear life, making sure to keep track of Kitsune and Hideji's battle off to the side. She tried to stab at the four-legged brute under her but failed to find a large enough chink in its metal armor.

"Force her off into the wall! Headbutt!" Lairon gave a mighty snort and reared upwards, then charged at the brick wall with a glowing cranium. Kiryu was helpless to do anything besides cringe and brace for impact. The Steel type rammed into the wall, flinging the Alley Cat forward like a car crash. She smashed into the wall, resulting in her questioning whether her mount had left a dent in the wall, or if that cracking sound was simply her spine. Lairon woozily backed up, only to discover that its rider was still barely hanging on, claw attached under an armored plate.

"Argh, knock her off with Protect!" Kiryu recomposed herself and glanced back at Suki's battle just in time to see the Pidgeot Burst, outgunned from a distance, swoop down with Wing Attack. Underneath, Kiryu felt her grip loosen as the Lairon's incorporeal shield appeared on its back. The Dark type used this sudden push to spring off the Steel type's armored body. Her timing was perfect, and she crashed into the Pidgeot just as it dived down low. The two tumbled off into the opposite wall of the courtyard, ending with Kiryu on top of her prey.

"Like I said, nature intended it this way," she gave a menacing grin, claws glowing in shining, black light. A breathless Hideji couldn't even try to respond before the Night Slash came down on his face. The other Burst Beat looked on in shock until an agonized cry made him realize that his dazed Lairon was being hit by a Fire Spin.

"Hey, Larion-"

"Flamethrower!"

The Fox Pokémon opened its jaws a final time, its tails illuminated in white light, and unleashed the move on a trapped Steel type. The entire backstreet glowed from the crackling flames, but eventually died down. Only a blackened, unconscious hunk of metal remained.

Kiryu finished up with one more Fury Swipe before checking on Suki and letting out a pent-up breath. She stepped off the Unbursted Hideji, making sure to knee him right below the belt as she stood on two legs and hobbled over to the victorious trainer.

"Not bad for a desk clerk," the student found Suki shaking like a leaf, yet sporting a large smile on her face as she viewed her winning Pokémon. Kitsune, himself, barked happily at Suki, his many tails wagging enthusiastically.

"Th-thank you," Suki breathed, cautiously regarding Kiryu. The Alley Cat gave her a casual nod in return. "And… Thank you for jumping in there like you did."

"Don't mention it, it was all I could do," Kiryu unconsciously rubbed a heavily bruised back. "Now, let's get the hell out of here-"

"Cloyster, use Brine!"

"...Oooh, trainers normally use more than one Pokemon, don't they?" Kiryu cringed in realization while Suki's face drained of color. The two of them were then flung backwards by a pillar of water appearing under their feet.

* * *

Takumi was currently mopping the floor with the poor Leafeon Burst. A continuous series of swipes cascaded down on the Grass type's blade, each one sending bone-shaking strain across his entire body. Using only one of his arm-blades, Takumi's assault continued to push the gang member closer and closer to the brick wall behind him while the other intercepted the few attacks that his opponent could manage. The Leafeon Burst Warrior was forced to use whatever strength he could muster to block his enemy's attacks, whilst facing death from a thousand cuts to those that he missed. Takumi's form was impeccable, and his onslaught seemed endless.

Thrust, Riverso, Parry, Taglio, dodging a Fire Spin from Ben, Parry, Thrust, Takumi finally ended the massacre by backending the gang member with his free blade, knocking him onto his back. The green energy surrounding the Leafeon's arm flickered and died, leaving him defenseless on the sidewalk.

"Pathetic," Takumi scoffed as he raised his blades upwards for Fury Cutter. It was then that he felt two sharp bites on his back. The Gallade Burst wheeled around to see that they came from two jumper cable-esque tails. His eyes widened in surprise before his vision turned white, the blinding pain of an Electivire's Thunderbolt frying the blood in his veins. The three regrouped Beatniks grinned maliciously as Takumi let out a rare scream of pain.

The smug expressions quickly melted away, however, when that pain turned to fury. Takumi's eyes, previously clenched shut from the pain and light, shot open, his arms glowing purple once more. The Electivire Burst's own beady pupils widened in shock (no pun intended), but it was too late to detach himself before being slashed across the front by Psycho Cut, ending the Thunderbolt and allowing Takumi to rip the accursed cables out of his back.

As the Electric type struggled to stay conscious, Ben's two remaining cohorts began another desperate attack. The Machoke Burst rushed in to grab Takumi for Seismic Toss while Leafeon stood up on wobbly knees and used Razor Leaf from behind. Despite the damage and drain on his endurance, the Gallade Burst stood still as he sensed both attacks approaching. Then, he swiftly folded his arms together and closed his eyes, enveloping the Electivire in a Psychic grasp. Before the Thunderbolt Pokémon could attempt to break free, he was lifted off the ground and flung right into the Machoke Burst, knocking them both into a light pole near the road. Just as the metal *clang* rang out, Takumi disappeared in a flash of light, causing the Razor Leaf to fly right past where he was standing… And into the two tangled Beatniks. The Grass type looked on in horrified silence, not even sensing Takumi Teleport behind him and knock him out with a final Slash. All three Burst Beats reverted, leaving three suffering humans spread out across the deserted sidewalk.

"Hmph," Takumi gave an involuntary shake, muscles twitching from electricity. Inside the backstreet passage, came the echoing sound of battle. The vigilante stepped over a downed human and peered down the passage, checking to see how much trouble his coworkers were in. The shouts from within masked the approaching flap of wings, leaving the Gallade with only a psychic warning at the last second. Ben's Wing Attack crashed into Takumi with the force of a car, sending the Psychic type tumbling into the alley. Takumi rolled and flipped back to his feet, skidding along the ground as he tried to steady himself.

"That's enough!" Ben roared, livid at the defeat of the Burst Beats. Takumi gritted his teeth at allowing the teen to land a hit, then determinedly returned to his fighting stance. Cinders blew from Ben's nostrils and into the alley as he stomped closer. "I'll finish you off myself!" The Charizard Burst's wings unfolded as much as they could between the narrow walls and he took off, gliding right into his adversary with a Slash attack. Takumi parried the lizard's claws but was faced with its fiery maw next, and after that another buffet from the wings. The Fire type's natural speed advantage began to make itself known, each melee attack coming in quick succession. The Blade Pokémon expertly kept up with every move but had little time to use his own, nor could he concentrate on a Confusion or Psychic to slow down the pace.

"I'll… Kill… You!" Ben shouted dramatically, landing a Slash and following up with Fire Fang. Takumi responded with whatever Fury Cutters and Psycho Cuts he could, but the amount of damage he had taken previously seemed to put him at a disadvantage. Each dodge took the two further into the alleyway, step by step, and Ben's attacks fell closer and closer to their mark. The Gallade Burst flipped, kicked and blocked all that he could, but Ben's raw strength was overwhelming.

In a short amount of time, Takumi was pushed towards the edge of the courtyard, where it was discovered that Suki and Kiryu were not faring much better. Kitsune, releasing a feral growl despite the water sizzling on his fur, ducked under a Water Pulse as his equally wet trainer gave panicked directions from a corner of the square.

"Eight o'clock, Aurora Beam!" the Burst Beat's levitating Cloyster did an about-face just as Kiryu leapt out of the shadows and encased her with a bone-chilling, multicolored ray. The Alley Cat seemed to freeze in midair as her Burst was revoked in a flash of light, and both human and Burst Heart landed on the ground with a groan. Kiryu weakly raised her head as Takumi and Ben spilled into the courtyard, the professor having seen none of her battle as he frantically dodged Ben's stream of moves.

Their fight momentarily paused, all participants in the courtyard watched helplessly as Takumi's right blade was deadlocked by the gleaming claws of the Charizard. Before the exhausted-looking teacher could raise his second arm to stab into Ben, the Flame Pokémon's tail whipped around from behind and slammed into Takumi with Dragon Tail. The vigilante went spiraling across the stone pavement and landed in a crumpled heap. Though not Unbursted, Takumi only laid there and coughed as the Burst Beat leader towered over him, grinning almost crazily.

"I told you I'd get you back," Suki watched in horror, legs frozen in place. Kiryu drug her nails across the ground at the sight of Ben's mouth lighting up with Flamethower. She wanted to help Takumi, but was too weak to stand, let alone jump in the way. Her rival had defeated the protégé, now they all were about to pay the price.

Takumi raised himself up on shaking forearms, face covered by his black bangs. Ben's flaming maw grinned at the prospect of his enemy pleading for mercy. Then, in a voice only slightly more strained than normal…

"You shouldn't have boxed yourself in."

Takumi flung himself into Ben's stomach, knocking him back into the narrow passage and causing the Flamethrower to fly harmlessly into the sky. The Gallade stood up and roundhouse kicked the dragon across the face. Next came a slash to the shoulder, then a kick to the leg, then an uppercut that sent pointed teeth flying… Each hit from the Close Combat sent the dragon tumbling across the area, only for another hit to send him the opposite direction.

Seeing that Ben's minion and his Cloyster were left dumbstruck, Kiryu slowly pulled herself to her feet and limped closer to watch the display. By being trapped in such close quarters, she realized that Ben had no way to spread his wings to full length and fly away, least of all when Takumi was throwing punches at super-sonic speeds. She could only assume that the madman planned the entire scenario out beforehand.

It wasn't just that, though. The teen watched in wonder at the sheer _unity_ between Takumi and his Gallade. He was fighting like nothing she had even seen, as if the two had spent several lifetimes by each other's side. Unlike her previous battles with the protégé, his Pokémon picked up no slack in his partner's actions; the two were perfectly in sync. She couldn't take her eyes off it.

Takumi ripped a brutal slash across Ben's torso, resulting in a flash as male teen's Burst revoked. The Gallade Burst then threw one more kick for good measure, launching the feeble human across the entire length of the alley to join his friends at the exit. A sickening thud followed as Bunta Uendo skidded into the street, a pile of broken bones. The Burst Beats were wholly defeated.

Glancing disinterestedly at his handiwork, Takumi turned his back to the group one last time, leaving nothing but the pained groans of the Burst Warriors behind him. He was almost past a wide-eyed Kiryu before she managed to find her voice.

" _H-how did you-"_ she gasped unbelievingly.

"Now's not the time, Miss Camilla," he turned towards the remaining stunned Burst Beat and his Cloyster. "There's still the matter of-"

"Kitsune, Solar Beam!" Both Burst Warriors looked over in surprise and were nearly blinded as Suki directed the Grass type attack, preemptively charged when Takumi was still fighting. A ray of solar energy erupted from Kitsune's glowing form and blasted across the field and into the Water type. The Pokémon's cry was drowned out by the energy of the attack, and the Bivalve Pokémon soon clattered onto the ground, shell closed, as the brilliant light faded. Its trainer remained petrified for a second until he managed to recall his Pokémon and race through the café door behind him, blubbering incoherently. Suki breathed excitedly, wild grin plastered on her face, but soon became aware of the two Burst Warriors staring conceredly at her. She dropped the smile and blushed embarrassedly while her Ninetails gave a tired yawn and walked in circles to lie down for some well-deserved rest.

"Never mind, then," Takumi eventually shrugged, Unbursted and abruptly fell backwards from a loss of Pokémon endurance. He steadied himself along the wall and slid down, taking a seat and sighing softly, eyes closed. Kiryu tried to stand straight and tap her foot expectantly until she felt her own legs giving out from under her.

"Well?" she asked tiredly, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the square. Takumi opened a questioning pupil to glare at her. "How were you able to pull all of that off?"

"It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out, even for the weakest of minds," Takumi shut his eyelid again just in time to miss Kiryu's deadpan expression. "When Mr. Uendo retreated to the air like the coward he is, a new approach was required of me. I had previously gleaned that he was predisposed to melee combat, so it was simply a matter of baiting him back onto the ground. Making him confident or frustrated enough to resort to his instinct and challenge me directly was a top priority."

"Baiting them in, huh?" Kiryu was listening intently and realized a curious coincidence in Takumi's strategy. He must've been paying more attention than she thought. "Gee, where'd you pick up that idea from?"

"Natural instinct, I suppose," Takumi answered casually, and Kiryu pursed her lips in annoyance.

"And what about the other three Burst Warriors that you singlehandedly defeated? That's not something you see every day, you know!" Takumi shrugged once more.

"Ragune and I have subjected ourselves to near-constant training for many years. The bond that we share is the result of countless hours of practice, a natural affinity for battling," a sly look fell across his mien, "and a strong spiritual bond with my Pokémon," any further questions or snarky remarks caught in Kiryu's throat. For once in her life, Miss Camilla was left speechless. Takumi seemed to heartily savor it.

After a mere minute of rest, Takumi easily hopped back to his feet and left towards the courtyard exit, leaving Kiryu to ponder what had just transpired. A dangerous thought began taking root in her head.

Having just fought one of the toughest battles of her life, the teen's mind was a bit clouded by exhaustion. Maybe that was why she couldn't get Takumi kicking Ben in the face out of her brain, nor the subsequent explanation of his skills. The… Oneness of Takumi and Ragune, his Gallade. Kiryu was never the one to think twice about her decisions, so she found herself trying to stand and calling out to the professor before she could stop herself.

"Hey, Takumi wait," the man paused halfway to the street, facing away from the student. "Maybe," a much more rational side of Kiryu struggled to make itself heard. He's a sociopath! He's a stalker! He's a complete asshole to you! What the hell are you doing?!

"…Maybe I can still take you up on that tutoring offer," she lapsed into silence, averting her gaze and nervously contemplating both his response and her own actions. The master Burst Warrior didn't move a muscle. Nobody in the courtyard seemed to breathe.

"…Very well, then. Saturday, one o'clock. Don't be late."

* * *

 **After almost three chapters with little to no action, I was very much looking forward to writing this one. I hope that it was worth the wait for you all, as well.**

 **The original version of this gang fight was probably the first time that Takumi was made out to be... Just a _slight_ bit more powerful than Kiryu and Suki. He single handedly takes down the entire group with no help, leaves to tend to his injuries with Kiryu, and then _goes back to the same area and fights the entire gang a second time, wiping out the entire group two times in one day._ That day will live in infamy, the day the in-joke about Takumi's power level began.**

 **It also came to my attention a few weeks ago that I have somewhat unintentionally passed many of Suki's old character traits onto Kiryu. In the original roleplay, at least in the beginning, Kiryu Camilla was much more calm and noble, acting as more of a vigilante than Takumi ever did. Suki was the more promiscuous and emotional one, traits that are much easier to develop at the beginning of your story. So they were given to Kiryu, instead, while Suki has been more or less revamped from the ground up.**

 **I'd like to talk about Suki's changes in a bit more detail next chapter, but I thought that this was an interesting fact that I didn't really realize I was doing until recently. Tune in next time for the 'fic that rocks the clicks or something.**


	8. Magic Man

The next weekend, an unexpected heat wave hit Winterspring like never before. It was normally the time of the year to dust off winter coats, a month or two before any other region. Instead, people sweltered under the (relatively mild) heat while exotic Pokémon gratefully basked in the rays of sunshine. Twenty years ago, business in the growing town would've been drug to a screeching halt by the energy-sapping temperatures. Now, the second largest city in Sakhaloh was much too big to fail from a minor change in weather. Traffic, construction and money-making would continue as scheduled.

For Kiryu, it meant making an outfit change from a dark blue, long-sleeve shirt to an equally blue t-shirt. It was much more appropriate for an entire day of getting beaten up by Takumi and/or taking a test on the history of Burst tactics during the late BCE era. Such was the life of the unfortunate pupil of Mr. Genji, Kiryu thought mournfully as she checked her outfit in the mirror. Despite a weeklong whirlwind of emotion, depression and injuries of all kinds, Kiryu's cluttered and outdated room looked exactly the same, complete with purple Psychic type lounging silently on her bed.

"Don't you look at me like that," Kiryu pointed an accusatory finger at Espeon, glaring childishly at the glowing-eyed Pokémon, "I didn't ask for this, you know." An outright lie, Kiryu reminded herself. She very much did ask to have her Saturday wasted away by private lessons with a megalomaniacal professor. Espeon stared unblinkingly back, doing what all cats do: reading her master's thoughts (whether or not the telepathic Pokémon actually could read her mind, the teen had no idea). Kiryu pointed her nose up at Espeon poutily and returned the cat to its Burst Heart. Into her backpack it fell, next to the other two Hearts she was ordered to bring.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lin asked piercingly as Kiryu made a beeline for the kitchen door. Her sister acting so vehement about her punishment was not helping the younger girl's mood in any way.

"Tutoring session, like any good schoolgirl should," the younger sister did a mock-curtsy, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Got some kind of problem with that? Are you _proud_ of me, sis?" her guardian medically examined her for falsehoods before giving an uncaring "hmph" and returning to her book. Kiryu rolled her eyes and stomped away, allowing the door to crash shut behind her.

* * *

The teen headed south, winding through the suburbs and towards the lakefront. As she passed through the samey-looking architecture and flawless landscaping, she drifted back into her subconscious, a place she was quickly becoming familiar with these past few weeks. She considered what she had said earlier, and the most recent events that led up to her current situation. Why _did_ she ask for this?!

The first reason, she tried to convince herself, was quite rational. There was simply no way that she'd be willing to sacrifice her inheritance, the money that her mother had spent years saving, over some petty dispute with a teacher. Skip class? Sure. Low marks? Whatever. But even if she could transfer the tuition to her personal account, there was no way that she'd tarnish Miko Camilla's name by getting expelled. Of course, the minute Kiryu seemed to sense Takumi's presence, she felt the need to put her mother's reputation in jeopardy. Overall, then, that first reason is somewhat of a moot point.

Her second excuse, one that was much harder to swallow, was that Kiryu actually was impressed by Takumi's inhuman battling skills. The girl felt goosebumps, despite the heat, just considering the idea. Now, Kiryu usually knew her own limits in comparison to others, but she did not consider herself an easy person to impress. She knew plenty of powerful Burst Warriors: Tula, Ben, Lin, but admittedly, she had never witnessed a single person take out four gang members at the same time and saunter away so easily. However, did Kiryu really think so low of herself that she'd be driven to do anything Takumi asked, simply for putting on an entertaining performance? No, most definitely not. It would take a lot more to break this girl's willpower, Kiryu stubbornly said to herself.

Then what _did_ break her willpower? What caused her to sign up for several hours of torture with the her most hated person in the world? Maybe there was just some kinship between people threatened to be beaten up by a gang of Burst Warriors. It would certainly explain why Suki's freaking backyard was offered as a training ground for their session. Not even Takumi seemed to expect that one coming. All in all, though, Kiryu had no idea why she had spontaneously agreed to her alternate punishment. Could've been the threat of expulsion, the promise of strength, the bonds of friendship, or something even stupider than that. It didn't change the fact that Kiryu was now spending four evenings a week getting lectured at by Takumi, starting today.

Kiryu pondered deeply about these things as she ducked under a pedestrian bridge. So deeply, in fact, that she didn't notice the Delcatty tail lowered in front of her face and was subsequently smacked in the face for her negligence.

"Gah, what the hell-" she stumbled back from the light slap while the Tula, Ayame and the Classy Cat Pokémon hopped off the bridge, the Pokémon's owner giggling with delight. "Oh, it's you guys," Kiryu wiped her mouth with her sleeve, spitting out cat hair.

"The one and only," Tula spread her arms and showcased the duo with a grin. Ayame nodded a brief greeting.

"What are you two even doing down here?"

"Waiting for you, obviously," Tula's answer only further puzzled the gang leader, who pointedly waited for an explanation.

"We heard that you'd be down here," Ayame clarified. "We like to stay on top of the gossip feed, and people haven't exactly been quiet about you hospitalizing the entire Burst Beats and weaseling out of punishment."

"Are you kidding? I have detention with Takumi," Kiryu responded coolly, "I wouldn't call that 'getting out of punishment,' and that's not even mentioning half of the Alley Cats being taken into custody. No thanks to you two, by the way," as happy as she was to see them again, Kiryu couldn't help but remember how they ditched the rest of the group at the first sign of trouble.

"Eh, we did what we had to do," Tula replied indifferently, "Like I said before, no one really cares about some clique of schoolgirls. The members with actual skills, us Three Musketeers," she dramatically pointed at the other two, "We're the real Alley Cats," Kiryu maintained a neutral expression at Tula's theatrics, but couldn't help but feel a little hurt. _I_ cared about the clique of schoolgirls, she thought. Ayame picked up on this and gave a conciliatory smile.

"Well, you know," she offered, "if you do end up getting expelled, you're always welcome at our place."

"What?! I can barely handle my own mess in that dingy apartment, let alone with yours," Tula flipped her short hair pompously while her Pokémon stuck her tongue out in disgust at the notion. "Nah, if that Dean or teacher-guy gives you a hard time, I'll take care of them personally," faster than Kiryu could catch with her eye, a pocket knife suddenly appeared in her companion's palm. Both Kiryu and Ayame took a cautionary step back as Tula flipped the weapon in her hand, a malevolent glint in her eye.

"That won't be necessary," Kiryu said quickly, holding her palms in the air. It seemed that she had forgotten how her companion wasn't the preppy schoolgirl she pretended to be.

"Put thing away before you hurt yourself," the red head made a grab for the knife, only for Tula to pull her arm away and let the device slide back down her sleeve. Kiryu watched the two fight with mild amusement, glad to see that some things never changed.

"Besides," Kiryu continued, "I wouldn't want to see you end up in the morgue, after what I saw Takumi pull off."

"Oh yeah, that's right!" the two stopped fighting so that Ayame could look at Kiryu excitedly, "What the hell did you two do to those Burst Beats?!"

"As much as I'd like to take the credit singlehandedly pummeling Ben and his goons to a pulp, I must resist," Kiryu's voice fell to a mumble, "If we're being honest… Takumi did most of the work. He took out half of the gang by himself, actually."

"And the damsel in distress that she is, Kiryu rushes to fulfill his every whim," Tula chirped, a bit miffed at Kiryu's disregard for her battling skills, "how about we dirty your knees now and-"

"Tell him to kick your ass next, hm?" Kiryu shot back evenly.

"Half of the gang?" Ayame said disbelievingly, "Ben, Hideji, all the others?" Kiryu nodded, and her friend's eyes widened. "That's… Wow…"

"Yeah, well, maybe I can grab some of those skills for myself today," the teen's face became downcast, "it'd be one good thing to come out of all this," Tula's face softened while Ayame gave the girl a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"Like we said, girl, if things don't work out, we'll watch out for you."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'd rather just get this over with. Not everyone has the courage to be dropouts like you two, ya know?" Kiryu put on a brave smirk, causing Tula to giggle innocently and Ayame to give an indifferent shrug.

"Yeah, well, not everyone can handle the responsibility like we can."

"But I'll let you know if I need anything, thanks," Kiryu checked the time on her phone and sighed. "I gotta go, but I'll let you know when I have the time for another Alley Cat meeting, too."

"Knock 'em dead, girl," Ayame and Tula gave their compatriot a hug and let her pass, having given their leader a bit more positivity to get her through the day.

* * *

The southern boundary of Winterspring City was marked very clearly by the abrupt end to the suburban housing. There was very little effort to naturally transition the modern development with the rural lakefront and forest just south of the city. As such, the contemporary housing and paved sidewalk quickly petered out to a series of dirt roads and old, wooden manors owned by long-standing Winterspring dynasties. The main attraction to the area was Lorde Lake (named after the whale Pokémon of a similar name), a crystal-clear reservoir for the various mountain streams and rivers of northern Sakhaloh. Several lake houses, ranging from modest cottages to multi-story manors dotted the banks of Lorde Lake, either passed down by those same long-standing families or bought by the foreign elite as a summer home.

"Nice of Suki to invite us over for practice, eh Cotton?" Takumi said absently to the Normal type happily perched on his head, to which it gave an excited yip. The Sinnoh native wasn't normally in the habit of talking so casually to his Pokémon, as they usually preferred to stay in their Burst Hearts. His Cinccino lacked the several years of experience together that the other three shared. As such, he hadn't inherited the others' common traits quite yet. Takumi was more preoccupied with the subject of his comment, anyways.

Somehow, despite all that had happened during his luncheon with Kiryu, Suki's offer to host their lessons managed to be the most surprising turn of events of them all. Kiryu's eventual acceptance of private lessons was inevitable in Takumi's eyes; he only wished that it didn't take a four-on-one deathmatch to reach that inevitability. What he didn't expect was for Suki to speak up less than a minute into the scheduling process and offer up her apparently expansive backyard as a training ground. All of this being done while still surrounded by unconscious Burst Warriors, by the way. Takumi often wondered why his Sinnoh companions bothered to put up with him, let alone why Suki would subject herself to him and Kiryu, together.

Speaking of, Takumi had resigned himself to put up with his undesirable student and try to make the best of his opportunity. Unlike Kiryu, the man cared very little as to why she changed her mind so quickly after the battle. If having her as a private student was just karma for his previous reckless behavior, then it was best to accept it. And after all, if Takumi was so confident that a change in the curriculum would be beneficial, what better way to prove it than to succeed in teaching the unteachable?

What mattered now was that he gave it his all, and the rest would follow, Takumi told himself as he reached his destination. The path to Suki Harmoni's house branched off into a small, crescent-shaped grove of pine trees. The dirt road ended at the foot of her house, a quaint cabin that was situated less than a hundred yards from the lakefront. The front of the cottage faced the inside of the grove, while the porch seemed to look out across a field towards the lake. The small front yard looked like zen garden minus the sand, as it was filled with rocks. The largest was an embedded boulder the size of the front door.

A dainty face appeared in the front window and mouthed something, Takumi assumed it was a whispered "hello," before reappearing to open the door. The male stood along the pathway unsurely as Suki stepped out of the house to meet him. He continued to scan the grove, judging its worthiness as a training grounds.

"I'm glad you found the place," Suki greeted cordially. "How have you been?"

"This yard is to serve as our training grounds?" the Burst Warrior was too focused on analyzing the location to give a proper response. Suki flushed.

"Oh no, I mean, I was thinking that you could use the backyard," she pointed around the house, stumbling on her words, "It's much larger… But if you, uh, wanted to practice on a more uneven field, I guess you could use this one…"

"Very well," Takumi nodded, "May I?" he had already walked past Suki before she could even answer. The secretary looked about to say something but thought better of it and trotted behind Takumi.

The backyard was much more spacious than the front, complete with a raised porch, small flowerbeds and a breathtaking view of Lorde Lake, though the waterfront was still a brisk walk away. In the center of the field laid Kitsune, enjoying the unusually warm sunlight. Suki stood awkwardly by the porch while Takumi paced around, inspecting the ground, trees and every other nearby detail.

"We can practice movesets here… Dexterity near the pines… Yes, this should work," Takumi deemed the place just about worthy of his standards. Ms. Harmoni seemed to know a good training grounds when she saw one.

"Did you want something to drink?" Takumi's host called over from the house.

"Hm? Oh, of course," Takumi broke from his inspection and answered. Suki nodded and went inside while her Ninetales eyed their guest cautiously. She returned with a pitcher of tea and glasses, and the two sat down to drink together when it became clear that Kiryu would be fashionably late.

"Your yard should serve as an adequate training grounds for these lessons," Takumi complimented casually. Suki gave an unsure smile in response. Usually the guest would call the house lovely, but adequate would do, she supposed. Takumi added, "You seem to have an eye for proper Burst technique, judging by your choice of residence."

"Well, I didn't actually have a choice in the matter," Suki admitted. "This cottage was already owned by my family. No one was using it, even for a summer home, and it was the easiest to move into," the woman looked away self-consciously at the confession, but Takumi simply nodded, staring out at the lake.

"I see," it made sense that the Harmoni family owned a large amount of land near Winterspring. "Nevertheless, you seem to know a thing or two about proper battling grounds, if you volunteered your yard. You aren't a Burst Warrior, by any chance?" Takumi already assumed that Suki didn't possess the gift, as she didn't use her power against those delinquent kids. Suki was quick to confirm this.

"Oh no, I can't Burst personally, but the whole family was expected to support the siblings who could."

"Competitively?"

"That's right. The whole family would travel across regions with my brothers and sisters as a sort of maintenance crew for tournaments," the female smiled nostalgically, speaking more openly, "I guess you learn a lot from a family so tied to Burst Warriors."

"I would imagine so," Takumi responded lightly, stirring his drink. Out of respect for his host, he would keep his opinions on competitive Burst Battles to himself. For now. "I was under the impression that the Harmoni business is run in Almia now, correct?"

"Mhm," Suki nodded again, pleasantly surprised at Takumi's interest, "That's where I grew up, in Grandpa's manor. My parents could both Burst, and they passed it down to five out of eight of us. I came to work here after my siblings stopped touring, er, to focus on other ventures," the end of her sentence came out mechanically, and it wasn't lost on Takumi. Racking his brain over countless tournament records and prominent figures, the prodigy couldn't recall much mention of the Harmoni family in recent years. Sugawara most certainly made his mark, but the next of kin never seemed to reach the same heights as their father. A pity, Takumi mused.

"That's understandable. And commendable that you'd make the most of things," the professor put down his cup and motioned at the Hearts in his coat pocket.

"How do you mean?" Suki questioned.

"Even with two Burst Warrior parents, not everyone is gifted with such a blessing as we are," the brown-haired lady tilted her head confusedly at Takumi's… Compliment? The fact that the Burst Warriors only stared back without any shred of warmth didn't help to clarify things.

"Oh, uh, thank you," Suki finally returned, volume back down to a mumble. The porch fell into an uncomfortable silence as the two drank their refreshments and waited for Miss Camilla to arrive. This lasted until the receptionist, out of nothing more than obligation as host, tried to reignite the conversation.

"Well, how about your family? Did your father enter many tournaments?"

"Oh no, of course not," Takumi answered almost immediately, pouncing on the chance to talk about his progenitor, "my father considered tournaments to be a waste of time, only for weak Burst Warriors," Suki shot him deadpan expression, which Takumi didn't seem to see. "No, he didn't strive for public recognition, but he was more powerful than any Burst Warrior alive today. He taught me everything that I know, you see."

"Never would've guessed," Suki commented dryly, but her companion didn't notice.

"Yes, well, you could say that I admired him greatly," Takumi leaned back in his chair, his stone-faced expression softening. "I figured that the best way to carry on his legacy was to pass on his lessons to others," the man's perpetual scowl loosened a bit as he looked out onto the water in contemplation.

"Was he also a professor?" Suki asked.

"No, no," the raven-haired man shook his head slowly, "I was the only one who got firsthand lessons from him. He wouldn't teach anyone else, but I had to pass on his knowledge," Takumi suddenly jerked his head around to face Suki, causing her to jump slightly in her seat.

"I mean, how else could I on his legacy, hm?" Suki could only shrug, but Takumi didn't wait for an answer. His shoulders slowly drooped, and a shadow fell over his vulnerable demeanor as he stared down at an empty cup. "Now that he's gone, I have to carry it on…"

"Oh, I'm sorry," his companion quickly apologized, caught off-guard by Takumi's surprising range of emotion. Once again, she had no idea what to say. "If you want to talk, er, I-" Thankfully for her, the Burst Warrior bailed her out, quickly resetting his emotions.

"It's fine," the stoic expression overtook Takumi's demeanor once more. "Don't worry about it, happened years ago, water under the bridge at this point," ironically, Takumi's father was the one open window which he could talk to others. If it were to stay that way, Takumi best carry on his father's mantle. If he couldn't, then he had no right to speak freely about such an important man.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did he, well, pass on?"

"Natural causes," Takumi answered, trying to keep a brave face. It was a damn shame that he passed on so early, but it was exactly why Takumi had to pass on the legacy through these lessons.

His father's teachings would power through any adversity he was about to face. It was just a matter of utilizing them correctly. If he could do that, nothing would stand in his way. He was sure of it.

* * *

"Anyone home?" Kiryu leaned on the giant boulder in Suki's yard. Normally, the Alley Cat would be pretty pissed at walking all the way to the lakefront, only to find nobody home. Considering the circumstances, though, Kiryu was praying that this was the case. After waiting in silence for a few more seconds, she eventually picked up the clink of glasses and scrape of chairs coming from the back of the cottage. Cursing her catlike hearing, Kiryu dragged herself around to the other side of the house.

"You're late," was Takumi's greeting as he stood up from his chair, adjacent to Suki. Kiryu could only imagine the torture that the poor woman had to go through, waiting for her to show up. It almost made her feel bad.

"Did you think that it'd be easy to find some place in the boonies like this?" Kiryu retorted, partially telling the truth. It did take a while to find the correct dirt road out of the dozens she passed. "And you weren't exactly quick to greet me. What is this, a tea party?" the comment turned Suki's face a shade of red, but Takumi simply sighed and changed his bored expression to a stern one. 100% of his emotional capacity.

"I trust that you remember the conditions you agreed to in exchange for tutoring?" the professor asked pointedly. Kiryu crossed her arms immaturely and glowered at the grass. Had she not been on the brink of total exhaustion when they negotiated the terms of their arrangement, the teen might've tried harder to get around some of Takumi's harsh guidelines. "Showing him a modicum of respect" would've been one of them.

"Yes…" the student finally mumbled.

"In addition, you'll follow my directions without complaint, will not question my theories and techniques, and complete every task given to you to the best of your ability, correct?"

"Anything you say, if it teaches me how to punch out four Burst Warriors at once," Takumi chose not to dignify her response, and only shook his head condescendingly. Wondering whether or not these lessons would be as soul-crushingly mundane as his lectures in the gymnasium, Kiryu asked, "So what should I be expecting, here? Are you gonna test out your pop quizzes on me before next week or something?"

"Possibly," Takumi shrugged as he grabbed his Burst Hearts, holding each one between fingers, "but I've come to find that actions speak louder than words. Engaging in battle proves to have a greater impact on the student than lecturing or paperwork."

You can say that again, Kiryu agreed. At least Takumi seemed like he'd put in a modicum of effort into this tutoring, as opposed to the frustratingly dull tests that he normally handed out.

"First of all," Takumi continued, "it would be best to gauge your strength as a Burst Warrior before the real training begins," Kiryu gave him a puzzled look, having figured that battling with and/or against him three times was enough to get a feel for her skills. Takumi clarified, "Your Academy record states that you have three Burst Hearts registered, but I've only seen two. You have a third Pokémon, correct?"

"Oh, well yeah, my Espeon," Kiryu understood, but looked at Takumi hesitantly, "but we don't battle much, anymore. I've had her since I was young," she tried to imply that Espeon was older, and not as strong as she used to be. Kiryu wasn't comfortable with putting the eleven-year-old Pokémon up against a merciless prodigy Burst Warrior. Takumi seemed unmoved, only glaring at her for questioning an order already. Irritated, Kiryu said more heatedly, "Come on, we've battled before. Why do you care so much about which Pokémon I use?"

"So that I can see the bond that you share with her."

"Oh boy, here we go," Kiryu groaned, but Takumi waved a hand to silence her.

"As I've explained before, Burst Warriors and Pokémon share a common link, one that varies from Pokémon to Pokémon," Kiryu rolled her eyes, tired of hearing the same spiel from her professor. "They're not some trading card to collect, Miss Camilla. Your bond with your Liepard is weak, but passable, while your Mienshao leaves much to be desired," before she could bite her tongue, Kiryu began to fight back.

"Hey, you're not exactly one to talk," she pointed at the man, "Don't think I haven't noticed how half of your Pokémon fight your battles for you," Kiryu had mentioned this before in their second battle, and knew that Takumi was aware of it as well. She might've won their first match if his Roserade didn't step in on its own.

To her surprise, though, Takumi didn't snap back with a sharp comment or denial. "I'm aware of this," he closed his eyes in what Kiryu would describe as shame, if she didn't know any better. Takumi then activated his four Burst Hearts, releasing his four partners, Gallade, Froslass, Roserade and Cinccino, onto the field. With the exception of the recently caught Normal type, they all stood at attention in a borderline creepy display of discipline. "The lack of coordination that you've noticed in our battles," Takumi motioned towards the Grass and Ice type, "is due to the fact that Summer and Winter are originally my father's Pokémon." His pupil considered this for a second, but didn't seem convinced.

"Okay, besides the fact that your father and Suki share an aptitude for clever nicknames, what does that prove?" Kiryu could see Takumi's brow furrow and hear Suki gasp from the sidelines, but she ignored both. "Your dad taught you all about your hippie 'bond' idea, right? If he was onto something, why aren't his Froslass and Roserade stronger than your Gallade?"

"That's precisely the point. They are stronger than Ragune," Takumi explained impatiently, pacing across the yard. As he turned away from his lineup of Pokémon, Kiryu swore that she saw the Gallade roll his eyes when his partner's back was turned. "The bond between Warrior and Pokémon isn't determined by the strength of one or the other, it's how they can work together," Takumi meshed his fingers together. Walking back towards Kiryu, he turned his head down and softened his tone. "My father and his Pokémon shared an incredibly strong bond together, and they could accomplish what other Burst Warriors can only dream. Until I reach the level of my father, I can never keep up with Summer or Winter.

"Ragune, though, is a different case. Even if my father and his partners are stronger individually, the two of us have been to hell and back together. That is the source of our synchronization, Miss Camilla. That is what the bond between Warrior and Pokémon represents. It's how we 'knocked out four weak Burst Warriors at once,' and it can't be learned in a classroom," as everyone else focused on Takumi, his first Pokémon gave a small, knowing smile.

"Well, you at least seem to admire your dad," Kiryu still wasn't entirely won over by Takumi's lecture, but did take notice of Takumi's first sign of humility in the face of his idol. Abstract it was, he seemed to genuinely be offering some kind of insight into his inhuman strength. All that said, she wasn't about to let him know that she was really mulling over his philosophical B.S. Instead, she added, "but not exactly progressive. No mention of mom, Mr. Genji?" she grinned slyly.

"Unfortunately," the male's voice immediately turned cold. "I'm unable to comment on that. All that I know of my mother comes from some cheap heirloom," Kiryu waited for an explanation until she noticed him fingering the stitch on his scarf. Her stomach flipped.

"…Oh…"

"Miss Camilla, I'd like to see the bond you share with your own Pokémon, if you'd please," her teacher generously let the matter drop and motioned toward the her backpack.

"Takumi, my Espeon isn't as young as she used to be," Kiryu eventually found her words and tried to explain, still apprehensive about battling with her first partner. Her qualms didn't just extend to her Pokémon's health, either. If all this stuff about bonds was true, she didn't want Takumi insulting her original partner.

"If your Espeon is too weak, then-"

"Fine, whatever," yep, there was the guy she knew and loved. "Let's just get this over with."

Kiryu moved toward the edge of the yard while Takumi returned his Pokémon and crossed over to the opposite end. For the third time, officially, the two were about to duke it out. Kiryu grasped the cool, purple stone in her hand whilst taking careful note of the green tinge to the Burst Heart in Takumi's. If that was his Roserade, then she'd have the advantage once again, but the dark-haired girl knew better to put her confidence in type advantage at this point.

"Let this battle decide where to go from here. Miss Harmoni, if you please," Takumi said, but kept his analytical gaze trained on the rival across from him. Even after fighting her before, the vigilante studied Kiryu with the same intensity as ever. Suki, who had once again reverted to window dressing, took a second to register the command.

"Oh, right!" she quickly stood up, Kitsune rolling off her lap and moving to a sitting position to spectate. "Er… The battle between Kiryu Camilla and Takumi Genji will now commence," Kiryu had to wonder where Suki picked up the tournament lingo. "Three… two… one!"

Kiryu Bursted with Espeon and immediately used her newfound psionic powers to survey the battlefield. Just as she predicted, Takumi had chosen his Roserade, Summer. This boded well, as Kiryu had already battled the Grass type. Her battle style with Espeon was completely different than Liepard's, and she wondered if Takumi would change his to match.

Without wasting any more time, Kiryu fired a Psybeam across the field, but it was easily dodged. Rather than respond to the attack, Takumi held his ground and kept still, arms crossed in front of him. A faint green light surrounded his figure, and the Roserade Burst suddenly sprung upward by a couple inches. Kiryu quickly realized that she couldn't let him stack those Growth boosts and fired another Psybeam from the gem on her head, closely followed by a Swift. Takumi dodged the Super Effective attack once more by spinning to the side but could only protect his face from the brunt of the star-shaped projectiles.

When Kiryu immediately used Confusion afterwards, it became apparent to the Roserade Burst that he could stand idly no longer. Takumi sprinted across the yard and rapidly closed the gap between the two. Out of his bouquet came the thorny vine of a Poison Sting. Kiryu avoided the appendage with a Quick Attack before using her momentum to meet Takumi in the middle. Easily evading his poisonous vines, the Psychic type reached Takumi and finished off the move with a kick to her opponent's face. Takumi grunted from the hit but didn't waver, raising his second bouquet toward his rival. Fortunately, the teen saw the movement in her peripheral vision, and leapt away from Takumi just as a Stun Spore was released from his hand.

Having to perform such an abrupt turn-around was already putting stress on Espeon's joints, and for very little payoff. Ideally, Kiryu wanted to keep her distance and play to her Pokémon's strengths by utilizing her variety of Psychic attacks. She tried to pin Takumi down with Confusion, only for the Burst Warrior to break her concentration by loosing a Magical Leaf in her direction. Kiryu was bombarded with the sharp foilage, and realized that ranged attacks were also a Roserade's specialty. Maybe, if she could cripple Takumi enough to have a melee advantage, she would have a shot at winning.

Kiryu kept her distance for a few more seconds, looking for an opening to use another Psychic attack. When the time was right, she used another Psybeam, which Takumi easily dodged, before sprinting towards the opposing Burst Warrior. Her target sent another vine swinging at her, glowing green with Mega Drain, but Kiryu ducked under and slid towards her target. She barreled into Takumi's torso with another Quick Attack, causing him to stumble backwards. Then, just as she predicted, the Roserade Burst grit his teeth and used another Stun Spore attack to ward her off. Just as planned.

The Sun Pokémon jumped backwards again, but not fast enough to avoid inhaling the paralyzing powder. Kiryu felt her joints seize up as the move took effect but smiled as her partner send off a psychic signal directly at Takumi. Her rival watched warily, then suddenly stood rigid, as if he had been shocked by an electric fence. Espeon's Synchronize worked like a charm. Kiryu smirked confidently, ready to take full advantage of Takumi's surprise. She overcame her paralysis and used Psybeam once more. The multicolored beam blasted into the stiffened Takumi and knocked him across the yard.

Her plan had worked perfectly, Kiryu cheered to herself. With both of them paralyzed, Takumi would have a hard time dodging her Super effective moves. She also wouldn't have to worry about avoiding his status moves at close range. Across from her, Takumi coughed and slowly got to his knees.

"Not bad," he said indifferently, wiping his brow, "but if you're going to play the status game-"

Kiryu ignored him, plotting her next move. Espeon also had much better physical moves to make use of in close combat. She knew Bite, Tackle, Quick Attack, while Takumi only had Poison Sting-

"-you should have more knowledge on your opponent," Kiryu's thoughts were interrupted by a sickly-sweet smell coming from Takumi's edge of the field. She looked over to see Takumi masked by a pink aurora, surrounding his side of the field. When she realized what was happening, the teen swore. Aromatherapy.

"Let this be your first lesson, Miss Camilla," the shadow of Takumi appeared behind the veil. "You must know every variable before you try such a risky maneuver," the man appeared from behind the curtain, limbered up and ready to go. Kiryu felt stuck in place, due equally to paralysis and embarrassment.

Several vines shot out from the Roserade Burst's bouquet and flew across the field towards Kiryu. The Sun Pokémon sprinted to the left on all fours to avoid the initial attack, but felt her legs seize up, leaving her weak to the final vine. The plant wrapped around Kiryu's foot, and Takumi wasted no time in firing a group of Leech Seeds at the ensnared Burst Warrior. Quickly deciding between trying to hit Takumi and stopping the draining attack, Kiryu waved her two-pronged tail and sent out more stars to vaporize the seeds in midair. Takumi frowned and pulled his vine taut, causing Kiryu to jerk backwards and fall. The Poison type's extension turned purple as he zapped Kiryu with a painful Venoshock.

Gritting her teeth to avoid crying out in pain, Kiryu turned towards her mind's eye, or rather, Espeon's mind's eye, and locked onto Takumi. The pain was bad, but not as bad as when she was previously poisoned. Fighting through the paralysis and the poisonous attack, Kiryu's gem lit up and launched another Psybeam at her opponent. Takumi's eyes widened slightly, as the vine around Kiryu's leg prevented him from dodging. The laser scored a direct hit and knocked the professor backwards, his appendage breaking off with a loud *snap*. The Psychic type shuddered from the fading poison but sighed in relief at the super effective hit.

"Very well then," Takumi said haltingly as he rose to his feet, vine slithering back toward his hand, "learn this, Miss Camilla; if you can't play to your strengths, play to your opponent's weaknesses," showing no signs of fatigue, the Grass type sprinted forward to attack Kiryu with Poison Sting. She attempted to halt his charge with Swift, but was too slow from the paralysis. Takumi flung forward another thorny vine and slammed it into Kiryu's side. Before she could retaliate, the Roserade Burst had completely closed the gap between them and followed up with a straight-up sucker punch to Kiryu's face.

As she barely dodged another Poison Sting, Takumi's strategy became clear to the young warrior. She attempted to back away, only for the Bouquet Pokémon to follow close behind. Just as Kiryu had planned on doing, Takumi was sacrificing his own ranged attacks in favor of pressing a melee advantage. Even with her superior contact moves, Kiryu's paralysis ensured that Takumi could defeat her in this fight. He had been planning on paralyzing her this entire time, she realized. Kiryu swore again as she blocked another vine from her opponent, only for her sluggishness to allow Takumi's knee into her stomach. She was sent skidding across the grass and gasping for air.

"Unburst any time you like, and the battle will be over," Takumi said nonchalantly, and fired several more Leech Seeds at the downed Espeon Burst. Still struggling from the previous assault, Kiryu couldn't evade in time before the seeds fell on her and immediately cracked open. Several roots sprung out over her back and held her down while Takumi rapidly raced towards her once more.

Make or break time, Kiryu thought desperately as she strained against the entangling vines. When it became clear that she was rooted in place, Kiryu stopped struggling and stared directly behind the Takumi's mask in an almost trancelike state. She had one last trick up her sleeve. The male didn't seem to even acknowledge this and only increased his speed, trying to reach Kiryu before she fired off her Psychic attack. That move never came, however, and Takumi leapt off the ground to throw a kick in the student's face. Much to his detriment.

Kiryu jumped into action and grabbed Takumi's extended leg with a powerful Bite, much more powerful than he'd been expecting. The Poison type grunted in surprise as his momentum was used both to break some of the Leech Seeds and fling Takumi over Kiryu's head. "How…?" Takumi quickly got back up, betraying slight surprise. Despite her tiredness, his pupil regained a tight-lipped smile at Takumi's emotion.

"Just a bit of a Psych Up," the obscure move registered in his mind, and Takumi regarded her bemusedly, not unimpressed.

"Quite unorthodox, but too late to make a difference," was the Burst Warrior's response. The remaining Leech Seeds suddenly glowed green and sent their energy towards the flowery Pokémon. Kiryu grimaced and stumbled, barely stopping her knees from buckling. She had copied Takumi's boost from the Growth, therefore she still had a stake in this fight. "You've waited too long to reveal your hand," Takumi's bouquet went behind his cape, and Kiryu could tell he was preparing a Magical Leaf to finish her off. "If you had a way to defeat me, you would've-"

"We'll see about that!" Kiryu yelled back determinedly and used Psychic, her most powerful move. Despite Takumi's taunt, she wouldn't give up.

Rather than a visible beam to be dodged, the Espeon's eyes merely glowed a bright pink, and Takumi found himself lifted off his feet and held in the air like a puppet on strings. His arm was still locked behind his back, unable to finish the movements for a Magical Leaf while his mind was assaulted with Psychic energy, prompting a cry of pain from the man. Kiryu held him in the air, putting all her strength into making him faint with this final attack. Suki unwittingly stood up from her seat, pulled in by the uncertainty of the fight. The two deadlocked, gritting their teeth in concentration. Pure endurance would decide the fight, now.

For a second, it looked like Takumi was about to Unburst, handing Kiryu the victory. Then the remaining roots around Kiryu's body glowed once again, sapping her strength away. Like a vampire sucking her blood, the momentary drain broke Kiryu's concentration, giving Takumi the room to sweep his arm across the field, sending a barrage of colored leaves directly at his opponent. The Espeon Burst could only close her eyes in grim anticipation before the Magical Leaf met its target, knocking the teen onto her back, and the Espeon out of her body. Just like that, the battle was over.

There she went, losing again. What was it, the third or fourth time at this point? And with the Pokémon she had had since she was a child, too. Kiryu couldn't help but recall Takumi's lectures, about how strong Burst Warriors and their closest Pokémon should be. The sixteen-year-old was never one to doubt herself, but if really was this weak, even with her childhood companion… What did that say about Kiryu Camilla?

Though his pupil remained motionless in the grass for a time, Takumi merely Unbursted and walked off the field without so much as an apathetic glance. Kitsune also yawned disinterestedly and continued to lay on the porch, leaving Suki to actually check up on the young Burst Warrior. "Are you alright?" she hesitantly called over, taking a couple unsure steps forward.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kiryu eventually replied. She got back up and joined the rest of the group by the house, walking a bit stiffly from the paralysis. Upon reaching the others, the two ladies looked toward Takumi expectantly. Kiryu knew that he purposely waited an extra beat before acknowledging them. She also took note of Takumi's hand on his forehead, no doubt the result of several Psychic attacks, with some satisfaction.

"You made several key mistakes, Miss Camilla," Takumi admonished with usual sternness, "not the least of which being your untimely status condition. Overall, your performance was-"

"Let me guess, weak?" Kiryu butted in tiredly. Having to go through the pattern of battling, losing, and being told why she sucks gave her the same feeling as the Leech Seed did. At first, her mentor gave her his customary dirty look, but then paused, and seemed to briefly reconsider his wording. The moment wasn't lost by either female.

"What's weak," he finally continued, "is your lackluster curriculum at the Academy thus far. The bond you share with your Espeon seems to be quite strong, actually. Whether you believe in my 'hippie lessons' or not."

"Wait, seriously?" it was Kiryu's turn to stutter, while Suki's mouth dropped open in surprise. Ever the quick thinker, the Alley Cat quickly hid any astonishment and shot the secretary a mischievous glance. "You mean I've already got this 'bond' business down?" Takumi immediately caught onto the bait.

"Sure, now all that's left is for you to learn basic skills, like not getting rooted to the ground by a Leech Seed."

"But you'd at least call my battling… Satisfactory, right, Mr. Genji?"

"We'll see about that," Takumi rolled his eyes, and Kiryu felt slightly better about herself. "That will be all for today, Miss Camilla. I'll have mapped out a more involved lesson plan the next time we meet. You are dismissed."

* * *

Halfway back to her house, paused to let her Espeon out of its Burst Heart.

"How are you feeling? Anything broken?" her Pokémon only stared back with wide eyes, though she almost immediately laid down on the sidewalk, a sign that the Espeon would need some time to recover. Due to the strange nature of Burst Hearts, it was humans who suffered the brunt of injuries, though it wasn't uncommon for older Pokémon to come to potential harm. Luckily, the Sun Pokémon seemed mostly fine.

"Good, good," Kiryu nodded before sitting down next to her Pokémon. "So, you finally met Takumi. Real piece of work, am I right?" catlike eyes stared at Kiryu in response. "Yeah, between him and Suki, it's like talking to a brick wall. Still…" Kiryu turned back the way she came, looking out at the lake in the distance, "I guess it wasn't a complete waste. You and me'll kick his butt next time, right?" the teen tousled the Espeon's head picked up the Psychic type to carry home. The wise Pokémon relaxed, and would've given her trainer a small smile, were it anatomically possible to do so.

* * *

 **Another day, another chapter, this time with some interesting exposition on Takumi and Suki. So why not talk about that third member of the Power Trio, then?**

 **Suki Harmoni (originally Suki Himamori) was created by Okami Amaterasu Omikami on September 22nd, 2012. While Kiryu was only given minor adjustments, and Takumi was left mostly intact, Suki ended up getting a more complete redesign, personality-wise. To tell the truth, Suki's original personality was somewhat hard to pin down. As mentioned before, Suki was usually the more promiscuous and outgoing of the two leading ladies, but she was equally likely to be as introverted as Takumi, depending on the scene. Suki also had a bit of a sailor mouth. I'm particularly fond of the later RP, in which Suki's creator was trying to catch up with what's going on, and always had Suki enter a new area saying "the hell is happening?".**

 **Suki is an essential part of the R** **èBURST experience, but I wanted the third member of the Freudian Trio to be more distinct from the other two. As such, I decided to focus more on Suki's actions, rather than her words in the original roleplay. She had a tendency to end up as the damsel in distress, so I decided to make her personality fit with that role a little better. That's not to say that Suki will _constantly_ be in need rescue (at least, not as much as she was in the original RP). My goal is to give every character their moments to shine while staying true to the original story.  
**

 **Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention the most important aspect that I changed about Suki: she isn't a Burst Warrior anymore! I had several reasons for doing this, the first of which relates to Suki's role in the original roleplay. You see, Suki Harmoni had a tendency to... lose a lot of Burst battles. Like, almost all of them. Keep in mind, though, that in a free-for-all roleplay, admitting defeat is a pretty admirable trait. In this retelling, Suki being just a normal human yet keeping up with these exemplary Burst Warriors makes her all the more interesting. While it isn't a main theme, I also wanted to explore the relationship between Burst Warriors and normal people, especially the Burst-happy Takumi. My last reason might show a bit of personal bias, in that I think that normal humans going toe-to-toe with Burst Warriors is a pretty cool idea (as some of you might already know, heh) and I think that it can apply to Suki, as well.**

 **Tune in next time as go back to focus on Kiryu, as well as the friends she's made (and lost) along the way.**


	9. The Kids Are Alright

" _I swear if you tap out now-OH NO YOU DON'T YOU SONOVA-"_ Kiryu's Mienshao retreated into her Burst Heart just as the Burst Warrior was knocked off her feet by a conclusive Hyper Voice. The teen landed on the ground hard, giving her the unique sensation of simultaneously getting the wind knocked out of her lungs and dealing with intense ringing in her ears from the soundwaves. It wasn't a pleasant experience.

Takumi Unbursted and strode over to where Kiryu lay. He began to tap his foot impatiently, waiting for his student to stop wheezing in the dirt. The previously healthy lawn in Suki's backyard was now thoroughly trampled. Several patches of bare earth mixed in with the brown, crushed grass. Suki's Kitsune had run over and was sniffing Kiryu concernedly.

"Weak," Takumi said irritably once Kiryu's breathing was reduced to slightly more quiet gasps, "Even worse than last time. Are you even trying at this point?" Kiryu would've torn his scarf in half if her lungs weren't on the verge of collapse.

After their first lesson, Takumi had decided to focus on Kiryu's weak points: the complete lack of skill with her Mienshao Burst. What followed were several grueling sessions consisting of nothing but Takumi and Cotton, his Normal type Burst, kicking the crap out of Kiryu and her mink again and again. And again. And again. This time, Takumi said that he'd defeat her using only Special moves and proceeded to easily fulfilled his promise.

"You're either be incapable of retaining any knowledge or are too stubborn to utilize it," every lesson, the complete lack of progress would quickly put Takumi into one of his worse moods, and it took less and less time to do so with each successive day.

"Of course I'm not learning anything," Kiryu wheezed between coughs, "What am I supposed to learn from a giant fluffy rat breaking my eardrums?"

"Not to let your opponent get the opportunity to use Hyper Voice, for one thing. Or to actually use your super effective attacks! Something along those lines," Takumi put his hands up in frustration.

"Can I reset now?" asked Suki from the sidelines, stopwatch in one hand and blasé face resting on the other. The excitement of the same two Burst Warriors with the same two Pokémon battling over and over quickly proved to be quite a grueling experience to watch. Therefore, Suki was relegated to timekeeper so that they could all see just how fast it took for Kiryu to fail at life.

"No, let me see the time," Takumi strode over to the porch where Suki sat while Kiryu gathered the strength to lift herself off the ground.

"Maybe I'd actually learn something if you used a Pokémon that fought like mine. Maybe your actual Fighting type?" the raven-haired female had been pressuring Takumi to use his Gallade for several lessons, now. Not only because she might finally pick up some skills from a Pokémon that wasn't half her size, but also from a desire to see the famous Pokémon in action once more. Her mentor, however, would not have any of it, and waved the idea away immediately.

"You wouldn't last a second against Ragune, especially if you can't last five minutes against Cotton," he turned the face of the stopwatch towards Kiryu. "This is even worse than last time, and I was battling at a handicap."

"You want the battle to last longer? Here's an idea: I'll go hide while you count to ten, then we can chase each other around the yard for ten minutes after you find me," Kiryu said dryly.

"Precisely the opposite, actually," Takumi replied with equal sarcasm. "If your opponent has the advantage from a far range, the last thing you want to do is run away and increase that distance," the dark-haired male flipped the Burst Heart in his hand and Bursted with his Cinccino again, "Once more, Miss Camilla," Kiryu dragged herself back to the starting positions while Suki pressed a button on the stopwatch, sighing softly.

Kiryu could practically hear her Mienshao hissing as she Bursted with her again. She mentally told her Pokémon that it would be a better experience for both of them if the Fighting type would get her crap together and battle. Once they were both ready, Takumi nodded towards the timekeeper, who lackadaisically waved her hand, telling them to "begin."

Both Pokémon rushed forward to meet in the middle. Kiryu send a sleeve flying at Takumi, only for him to gracefully pirouette and sidestep the projectile. Predicting a Tail Slap, Kiryu readied her other arm to counterattack, only to pause in surprise as Takumi's headscarf turned silver and metallic. Instead of going high, the Normal type dropped the Iron Tail directly onto her feet.

"Ow ow ow ow OW!" Kiryu couldn't help but cry as she cartoonishly hopped backwards. Takumi stopped and crossed his arms callously. "Since when did your Cinccino know that move?!"

"Never assume to know your opponent, even after dozens of battles," Takumi answered simply, then resumed his charge toward the injured Kiryu. The Fighting Type Burst tried to regain her footing, only to feel the sharp pain of broken toes when she leaned forward. Takumi effortlessly leapt closer and headbutted Kiryu in the stomach with a Slam attack. Already, Kiryu felt her Pokémon trying to separate against her will, and the teen tried to maintain the Burst. One Bullet Seed later, and it was all in vain.

"Weak!" Takumi shouted at Kiryu, who could only sit in the dirt, cradling her feet. "What possessed you to rush in when you clearly should've waited to strike?"

"Because _you_ told me not to run away!" Kiryu pointed an accusatory finger at her opponent. Takumi tisked and turned his back on the student. Their host, sensing the pending argument, put the stopwatch down and went over to pet her Pokémon in the meantime.

"Three moves and you're already down. You best not be Unbursting on purpose to get out of lessons," Takumi regarded Kiryu coldly.

"You think I _want_ to feel this over and over?!" Kiryu asked incredulously, motioning towards her feet. "This stupid Mienshao won't stay fused with me!"

"With a performance like that, I can't imagine why," was her sympathetic professor's response.

"Well it's not like you're helping at all!" the sixteen-year-old shakily stood up to look more intimidating and ended up rocking on her heels. "You're just using me to train up your new Pokémon!" Takumi kept his back turned, but she clearly saw him tense up at her allegation. "If you'd actually teach me something with Ragune, I'd do better. That's the problem."

"That's not the problem," her mentor denied, slightly more calmly, "not with your Mienshao, at least."

"Enlighten me, then. Why does my Mienshao always Unburst with me?" her mentor paused. He turned around, longcoat billowing, and Unbursted with his Pokémon. Cotton the Cinccino was released from his Burst Heart and stood nervously by, sensing the tension in the air.

"Don't be so presumptuous. Pokémon rarely Unburst with Warriors willingly, as long as the Warrior can handle the fusion," the male explained. This much was true. Kiryu, like all other Burst Warriors, was able to use her Mienshao almost immediately after finding her to battle Takumi at the time. "However, when the bond with your Pokémon is weak, they have much less will to fight for you. A Burst Warrior's endurance isn't only judged on the strength of the Warrior, nor the strength of the Pokémon," Takumi held an arm down and allowed Cotton to run up it to the man's shoulder, "it also depends on just how much the battle means for your bond."

Kiryu rolled her eyes and glowered at the lake. She was so sick of hearing this pseudointellectual bond nonsense. Though she didn't vocalize her opinion, Takumi seemed to read her mind anyways, saying, "you'd do best to at least give my advice a chance and try to nurture the bonds with your Pokémon, Miss Camilla."

"And how am I supposed to do that, Mr. Genji?" Kiryu inquired with mock-courtesy. Much to her annoyance, Mr. Genji only shrugged. Cotton mimicked the motion.

"It depends on the Pokémon. Get creative," he glanced down at his watch and immediately turned away. "I must leave. You're dismissed for today," both of his companions gave him a confused look.

"That's it? You're just going to leave me with that?" Kiryu called after the retreating figure.

"Pretty much. I have important duties to attend to," Takumi disappeared around the side of the house as Cotton waved goodbye enthusiastically, having had fun battling with Kiryu. The two remaining humans stood in silence at the abrupt end to the session until it was timidly broken by Suki.

"Er… Do you need a ride home, Kiryu? Maybe some ice for your injuries?" still in a dour mood, Kiryu flipped her hair dismissively.

"No, Suki, I'm perfectly capable of putting one foot in front of the other," the Alley Cat hobbled away, trying to hide the pain shooting up her legs, and left Suki and Kitsune alone on the porch. The two sat there for a second, staring at the trampled lawn and clear lake beyond. The human gave a sad shake of her head at the hopelessness of the two and headed inside, her Ninetales following closely behind.

* * *

Monday and Wednesday's private lessons were cancelled, as was Tuesday's Physical Education. When she passed by the gymnasium, Kiryu found the room black and the door locked. This was all fine with her, as it gave her some time to heal and get some much-needed rest. When she arrived on Thursday, the reason for Takumi's absence became clear.

Kiryu entered the gym to find the mass of students looking about the room in awe. The entire area, normally empty to make room for Burst battles, had been converted into a miniature obstacle course. Stairs that led several feet off the ground began at the door, leading to five hurdles to be jumped over. The left-hand side of the room consisted of a single large set of monkey bars, leading to the back end. Standing along the first half of the far side were several long bamboo poles to balance on. These led to the second half of the wall, where there were several artificial outcroppings to climb on.

The students murmured excitedly amongst each other, normally used to dull drilling and mundane test-taking in Mr. Genji's class. Even Kiryu had to admit that the structure in front of her was impressive, considering that it was all indoors. The teacher, himself, appeared from a side door, and the noise in the crowd died down as a second reflex.

"I had no idea I was teaching a herd of Miltank, today. Take your seats," their professor carried the usual stern expression, unconcerned about losing any sense of goodwill from the class with his insults. Kiryu moved with the crowd towards the bleachers but stopped as she passed by her superior.

"This was the 'important business' to cancel over?" she questioned. "How much money did you even put into all this?"

"Who am I to refuse the generous funding of the taxpayers?" Takumi replied indifferently, not looking up from his clipboard. "I believe I already told you to take your seat, Miss Camilla," Kiryu rolled her eyes and made her way to her seat, nose held defiantly in the air.

Normally, the entire class was afraid of associating with Kiryu in front of Takumi, for obvious reasons. This shunning did have its perks, though. For example, with no one sitting within a two-yard radius of her, Kiryu could comfortably stretch her legs out on the metal seating. Not that she wouldn't prefer her original seat, all things considered.

"Now then," Takumi began once the class had settled in, "this obstacle course is designed to test your general physical capabilities while Bursted with your Pokémon. Your performance will depend on your dexterity along the bars and poles, strength as you scale the rock climbing wall, and finally, speed and endurance as you race others to the finish," he pointed up towards the roof, thirty feet high to allow Flying Pokémon to battle, where a small platform was hung at the end of the climbing wall. "You may not skip any portion of the course, nor may you touch the floor once you start."

"What about our Pokémon?" a more vocal student across the bleachers shouted. "I'm pretty sure an Aipom is going to do better than this than a Seaking, right?"

"By choosing to Burst with a Pokémon at a disadvantage, you so choose to accept and work around its flaws. The same rule applies here," the uncaring tone in his professor's voice forced the student to reluctantly sit down and forlornly put away his Amoongus Burst Heart. A fellow classmate took his place and spoke up.

"Will we be graded on this?" Takumi and gave the kid a sharp glance.

"Did you enroll here to drink and party?" several of the teenagers, including Kiryu, stared at their feet self-consciously. "Of course you'll be graded. You'll compete four at a time in order to see who can reach the end in the shortest amount of time. You'll go in the order of class rank to ensure competition between the weakest amongst you," an excited whispering began to fill the bleachers at the prospect of a real tournament in the making. Takumi continued, "Starting from the top of this class, Miss Thrawn. Please wait at the starting line."

Kiryu couldn't help but crane her neck to see Ivy walk down from the top of the bleachers, a nervous-yet-determined smile resting on her face. She seemed much more… Self-confident, Kiryu noticed. Not that it mattered to her, anyways. The Alley Cat leaned back and closed her eyes, ready to wake up at the end of class for her name to be called. On the floor, Takumi droned on boredly.

"Mr. Yamamoto, Mr. Kaiba and… Miss Camilla," Kiryu's eyes shot open in surprise and disbelief. She failed most of Takumi's tests, and was just barely passing on the basis of her battling skills. So how the hell was she fourth in Mr. Genji's class? Kiryu gave Takumi a confused look from the bleachers, only to find him staring intently back at her. He knew, she realized, and was rigging the competition anyways. Takumi wasn't just ordering her as a P.E. teacher, either. Their tutoring agreement ran through Kiryu's mind, and she had no choice but to reluctantly join the other three on the course.

Why was Takumi forcing her to go first? Most likely to test his pet project against the best students in his class. It wouldn't surprise her at all to learn that Takumi broke his own rules to prove a point. Still, the idea of her tormentor specifically pitting her against Ivy persisted and filled the sixteen-year-old with a sense of unease.

A couple classmates looked at Kiryu curiously as she walked toward the others, but most were excitedly murmuring about the upcoming obstacle race. She reached the bottom of the bleachers and stiffly joined the other three, who had already chosen their Burst Hearts. Kiryu instinctively went to grab Liepard's Burst Heart, only to hear an obnoxious clearing of the throat. She whipped her head around and glared at the culprit, a thoroughly unphased Takumi. He subtly shook his head, making his order clear. Kiryu groaned and put Mienshao's Burst Heart in her hand, instead.

"The first one to reach the highest platform wins," Takumi explained. "I should also mention that all matter of battling is legal in this race," several cheers were heard from the peanut gallery behind him. The four Burst Warriors activated their Burst Hearts, and Kiryu found herself in between a Dewgong Burst and Ivy's Infernape. Her childhood friend had her eyes set on the course, while Kiryu couldn't stop herself from glancing at the other girl.

"…Hey," Kiryu tried to act casual, but ended up sounding more like Suki than herself.

"Hey," Ivy's voice was flat, and she didn't turn to meet Kiryu face-to-face. It wouldn't stop the Alley Cat from trying to communicate, at least one more time.

"So, you want to take out that Staraptor, and I'll get the Dewgong?" Kiryu motioned towards the fourth competitor and gave a short laugh. Ivy didn't return it, but finally turned to look at Kiryu in the eyes.

"No, I'd rather play by the rules and win this thing alone," that look of anger and betrayal from the party was still present in Ivy's expression. The warmth drained from Kiryu, and the smile melted off her face. But after all of the angst and turmoil, the raven-haired Burst Warrior refused to break down once again. Instead, she hardened her heart to match Ivy's.

"Fine then," she said solemnly, "I'll _listen_ to you this time and kick your ass myself," if that was the way it had to be, then so be it. If Ivy thought she was better off without her friend, then the same was true for Kiryu. She didn't need Ivy to win this, she'd take her friend on and come out on top. She got into a sprinter's position and mentally warned her Mienshao not to screw things up this time around.

"Begin on my mark," Takumi, clipboard in one hand the other inside his pants pocket, counted them down with a disinterested gaze. "Three… Two… One… Start."

Kiryu immediately clapped her hands together right next to Ivy's flaming head, temporarily stunning her as the other three Burst Warriors took off up the stairs. The audience cheered at the Fake Out, to which Kiryu gave a sly wink. She made it up the steps right behind the Staraptor Burst, who prepared to simply fly over the hurdles.

After getting over the flinch, Ivy's hair glowed bright red with anger. She bounded up the steps with great speed, growling at the trick from her former friend. Once she was on even ground with the other three, the Infernape Burst launched a fast-moving Fire Spin in Kiryu's direction. The Martial Arts Pokémon sensed the danger coming and barely sidestepped the attack along the narrow width of the platforms. The firey cyclone blew past her and entrapped the Staraptor Burst, just as he was about to nullify the entire point of the obstacle course. Kiryu raced by the Flying type, followed closely by the Dewgong Burst. Ivy brought up the rear. The Staraptor Burst Warrior tried to trip her with a Wing Attack, only to be met in kind with a Mach Punch from the Fire/Fighting type. The bird was knocked off the platform and onto the ground, prompting several cheers from the bleachers.

Kiryu easily leapt over the first three hurdles with little issue, trying to land flatfooted to avoid further damage to her healing toes. Upon reaching the fourth, the teen felt her traction with the ground suddenly end. She slipped and landed onto her stomach, onto what she realized was a sheet of pure ice. She was just barely saved from being run over by the Dewgong Burst, who was sliding at an incredibly high speed across the path, created by his Ice Beam. The Fighting type Pokémon scrambled back up to make up for lost time, treading much more carefully across the frozen floor. Ivy continued to gain ground in third, the heat from her body being enough to melt the thin sheet wherever she stepped.

The Dewgong student's lead quickly ended at the monkey bars. The Sea Lion Pokémon had to awkwardly grab the bars with his arms, morphed into much less useful flippers. It was there that Kiryu made her bid for the lead. The Mienshao Burst ignored the bars completely by hopping on top of the poles and easily sprinting over the obstacle. The Dewgong Burst groaned at his slow pace and grabbed the next bar with his powerful tail. From there he slingshotted himself across the rest of the gap.

From there it was a short sprint to the bamboo poles, which required perfect balance and acrobatics to cross. This presented absolutely no problem for the Burst Warrior with the Martial Arts Pokémon, who gracefully jumped from stick to stick. The poor Dewgong Burst paused at the edge of the platform, completely clueless as to how to proceed. Ivy, crossing the monkey bars with the dexterity of, well, a monkey, used the advantage to gain on Kiryu. She blew past the third competitor and leapt across the poles almost as easily as Kiryu. Taking a deep breath, the Dewgong Burst made a leap of faith onto the first pole… Only for the wooden stick to immediately break and send him crashing onto the ground.

"Now how was that fair?!" shouted the student from before amongst the laughter. Takumi seemed too busy writing down notes to have noticed.

All that was left was the vertical rock climbing wall. Most of the artificial stones served no greater purpose than a handhold, though a couple could be used to precariously latch onto like an owl on a tree branch. Kiryu used the claws under her sleeves to grab ahold and began climbing as fast as she could manage. Her legs still ached from the damage done during her lessons with Takumi, and lack of practice with her Mienshao form made her sleeves feel heavy and cumbersome. She only made it a third of the way up the wall before Ivy began her climb, and rapidly gained ground on the Mienshao Burst.

Halfway to the top and the two were neck and neck. Kiryu watched as Ivy became eye-level with her, only to find her competitor focused solely on the climb, head tilted upwards toward the final platform. If Kiryu didn't do something now, the race was over. Acting on impulse, Kiryu let go of the handholds and leapt off the wall towards Ivy, who didn't see Kiryu coming before it was too late. Kiryu rammed Ivy's side with a Jump Kick, knocking the Fire type off the wall and sending her plummeting fifteen feet towards the ground. A collective gasp filled bleachers, and even Takumi snapped his head upwards in alarm.

Still Bursted with Infernape, Ivy reached out frantically towards the wall and latched a hand to an outcropping. She dangled by a single arm as the audience shouted and applauded for the Flame Pokémon. Her opponent, having also jumped off the wall to perform that stunt, was too busy trying to stop her arms from shaking to immediately notice what had happened. By the time Kiryu re-steadied herself on the wall, Ivy was already regaining her foothold. Unlike the student above her, Ivy took no time to calm her nerves, and glared upwards at Kiryu with more determination than ever.

Kiryu let go of the wall with one arm and loosed a Force Palm downwards, intending to finish off her opponent. This time, however, Ivy was ready. The Fire type swung herself off to the side and easily grabbed a new handhold, allowing Kiryu's sleeve to harmlessly fly by. Then, without stopping for breath, the Infernape Burst blasted a Flamethrower upwards in retaliation. Without Ivy's climbing skills, Kiryu could do nothing but take the attack. She cried out in pain and dug her nails into the handholds so that she wouldn't fall. She could feel Mienshao straining against the flames, trying to Unburst, which would surely result in Kiryu breaking her neck on the linoleum floor below. She scampered further up the wall, trying to escape the fire and avoid Unbursting. Ivy stopped the attack and began racing upwards faster than she had before, locked onto that final platform.

Kiryu reached one of the small landings to perch on, close to the top but still several feet away and under the final ledge. She draped herself over the outthrust and panted with exertion. She was over twenty feet above the ground, and the room was starting to spin. She was never afraid of heights, but she was most definitely afraid of the angry fire monkey charging directly at her from below. The bleachers were in an uproar now, egging on their favorite Burst Warrior and adding to Kiryu's nausea. The strain against Mienshao to stay Bursted was becoming unbearable, and she'd certainly not be able to climb to the top before Ivy. Time seemed to move in slow motion compared to her thoughts. The only way to win this thing and prove that she could win by herself was to make it to the top in one final motion. She had no moves to send her that high upwards to claim victory. All she could do was jump.

Just as Ivy was about to surpass her, Kiryu sprung to her feet and leapt upward, arms outstretched to grab the edge of the highest outcropping. There was a chance, the slightest chance, that she would just barely make it.

She was so tired, she wasn't sure if she was mere inches or a couple feet away from victory when her momentum turned downward. Her stomach flipped, and she felt a pang of fear from her Mienshao. The acknowledgement that Kiryu's decision wouldn't work. The Fighting Type successfully Unbursted with her partner, leaving a sixteen-year-old human girl to plunge towards the hard floor below. Several people screamed as Kiryu fell, and the nosediving girl felt herself faint as the ground raced forwards to meet her head.

It was Takumi who finally intervened. As soon as Kiryu failed in her foolish venture, the professor's hand shot out of his pocket, throwing Ragune's Burst Heart like a Pokéball. The Blade Pokémon flew out of his capsule and, without even an order from his trainer, immediately used Psychic on the falling Burst Warrior. Even still, the acceleration of the human was enough to force the Gallade to raise his arms upwards like a puppeteer, slowing the descent of Kiryu before she could hit the ground.

The teen was whiplashed back to consciousness, and found herself hanging upside down in midair, a couple inches from the ground. Floating right next to her was Mienshao's Burst Heart, unbroken and intact. The Alley Cat was then levitated across the gym and over the heads of the rest of the crowd, toward her original seat. She looked upwards to see Ivy standing under the domed glass ceiling, holding her arms up in a triumphant victory pose. The class was giving a deafening applause, both for Ivy's win and Takumi's clutch save. The man, himself, seemed completely unconcerned over Kiryu's condition as he glowered at the audience.

"Insufferable miscreants," he muttered sourly, though his Gallade seemed to be enjoying the attention. With a small smirk, the Psychic type shifted his telekinesis to Takumi's back, forcing him into a bow. The change in focus ended up causing the upside-down Kiryu to fall face-first into her seat. Takumi fought off the Psychic and gave his Pokémon the death stare, who in return winked and retreated to his Burst Heart.

Among all the laughing and congratulations, one person was not sharing the good vibes. Kiryu angrily grabbed her things and stumbled away from the bleachers, pushing several students out of the way in the process. She stormed out the side doors, letting them slam shut behind them. Only a few people noticed, one of them being her mentor. The man made a show of sighing disappointedly at the sore loser Kiryu, then hastily called out the next four names for the obstacle course. Once they were prepared, Mr. Genji followed Kiryu out of the gymnasium. Most likely to try and get her expelled, reasoned several of the onlookers.

Kiryu stood by herself in the middle of the hall clutching her head in pain and shame. She wanted to show that she didn't need her friend and was proven wrong in front of Takumi and the entire class. Ivy was at the top without her friend, while Kiryu was taking orders from a greenhorn professor on an ego trip… Why couldn't things go back to the way they were?!

All of the drama could've been spared, Kiryu convinced herself, if it wasn't for her worthless Pokémon. The thief took the light purple Burst Heart back from her pocket and looked down on it menacingly. She wanted to smash the rock against the wall and force the Fighting type out on the streets. Surely the Mienshao wouldn't care, she should've been used to that by now. Kiryu felt herself raise her arm to toss it.

"Do you know why I called Miss Thrawn's battling 'satisfactory' on my first day here?"

"Just to piss me off, I suppose," Kiryu slowly let her arm fall, though she still gripped Mienshao's Burst Heart tightly.

"Miss Camilla, please understand that your life has been of little concern to me until you were put under my private tutelage," Takumi said with a hint of exasperation.

"That's a lie," Kiryu spun around to face him, "always asking about my mother, stalking me at the party."

"Regardless of what you think, I complimented Miss Thrawn because of the strong between her and her Pokémon. Even though she lost against me on that day, she clearly nurtured and cherished her partner. You clearly don't, and it's why you lost today."

"Piss off," Kiryu spat, ready to drop out on her own accord. "You have an answer for everything, don't you? Then tell me why you forced me to race against Ivy."

"Partially to test my pupil against the top of the class," Takumi answered, the condescending tone that Kiryu hated so much reappearing, "but also to allow you to see the difference that a spiritual link like Ivy's can make."

"And to rub salt in the wound between me and my friend," Kiryu added bitterly.

"I've already given my thoughts on that," Takumi's words only further reminded Kiryu of her actions during that Saturday.

"Yeah, well, all I learned was that there's no point trying to fix things now," the sixteen-year-old once again turned her back on Takumi. "Ivy ditched me, and she's better off for it."

"You're probably right," Takumi agreed, and Kiryu marveled at the man's empathetic range. He turned to go back into the gymnasium and leave his pupil alone. "Your Mienshao once belonged to someone else, did it not? Funny, being 'ditched' is the one thing you both have in common," Takumi left the hallway and left Kiryu to mope. Slowly, however, Mr. Genji's quip began to resonate in her mind. Her expression slowly changed as she came up with an idea.

* * *

Running along the east end of Lake Lorde was the expansive Tiaga forest, a vast sea of hardy trees that could grow on the colder, sometimes swampy landscape of Sakhaloh. Formerly an important source of lumber for Winterspring, the forest was now preserved as a natural source of beauty in contrast to the stone-grey city to the north. Trees were only cut down to make room for tourists, who flocked to the area to visit both the lake and the forest beyond.

Kiryu found herself at the edge of the treeline, standing along a familiar dirt path that led into the woods. She had skipped Friday's classes, as walking from Winterspring to Tiaga and back again was an all-day affair. With the heat wave still in effect, she had no need for a coat and could feel the calming breeze brush over her body. She had also shed her backpack and Burst Hearts, with one exception. The forest was usually a bevy of Pokémon and never had a dull moment, but the female's fond memories of the area still gave her a sense of peace and calm.

With a deep breath, Kiryu released her Mienshao from her Burst Heart. The mink whipped her head around and eyed the trainer dubiously, no doubt judging the girl for all of the negative emotions shared between them. Kiryu felt a pang of regret that her newest Pokémon only knew her partner for her negativity but forced herself to focus on the task at hand. That was exactly what she was here to fix.

"Hey, so… I was going to take a hike through these woods, up to a local fire tower," she told the Fighting type. "Did you, er, wanna come with me, get some fresh air?" the Mienshao continued to stare at her trainer, then gave a cautious look around the area, as if sensing some kind of trick. Finally the creature looked back at Kiryu and gave the slightest of nods. The female smiled in relief, but before she could acknowledge the Pokémon's acceptance, the Mienshao suddenly raced off down the path, headed into the forest. "Hey, wait up!" Kiryu called, wincing as she sprinted after her partner.

Mienshao barely slowed down to allow Kiryu to catch up and direct their path, and the two weaved through Tiaga Forest at a light jog. As usual, the shady trees were alive with activity as both animals and Pokémon went about their daily business. A group of Petilil waddled along the path, enjoying the sunlight. A Kricketot scuttled away in fear from the Burst Warrior and Pokémon, its body creating a xylophone-like sound as it moved. A Noctowl glared at them from inside a hollow tree. The two ran in silence, mostly due to Kiryu's need to gasp for air as she tried to keep up with the Martial Arts Pokémon.

The fire lookout tower stood at the top of the hill to better see any potential blazes, so it was visible long before the two reached the base of the structure. The building was a series of steel beams and stairs, leading one hundred feet upwards to a precarious-looking shed in the sky. The lookout was put out of use years ago, but it still stood firm above the forest, and had an incredible view from the top.

By the time Kiryu turned the bend to reach the base of the tower, her partner had run out of sight. When she couldn't find Mienshao at the bottom of the structure nor climbing the stairs to the top, the girl took a side path through some brush, toward the rocky cliff on the east side of the hill. It was there that she found her Pokémon.

Mienshao seemed to be meditating on top of one of the large boulders that jutted out from the ground. They stood over an abrupt edge to the cliffside that dropped a dozen or so feet down into a large crater. The ground featured no grass or plants, only a smooth stone surface. Off to the side, the skeleton of a brick wall for a cabin remained. It was once used as a place for firemen to sleep at night when they weren't up the lookout tower, but now served as a fairly popular spot for outdoorsy teens to get up to the usual antics: talking, hanging out, doing drugs and fornicating. Several crude graffiti drawings on the nearby boulders provided further evidence of their activities. Kiryu left the path to join the Fighting type on the rocks.

"You like this spot, eh?" Kiryu imagined that the Mienshao would've appreciated the mountainous terrain around the tower. Maybe it would remind her of her home before being captured, Kiryu had thought. The Pokémon kept her back turned to the Burst Warrior, legs crossed and arms folded, not bothering to acknowledge her. Also understandable, the teen admitted, given all the crap Kiryu had put her through. The two sat in silence for a couple minutes, watching a couple Roggenrola hobble around the edge of another sightseeing attraction: a large, barren crater at the bottom of the surrounding cliffside. Eventually, though, Kiryu pressed the conversation, more for the sake of talking than anything.

"Y'know, they say that a Legendary Pokémon made that crater," she pointed down at the basin below them, where the smooth rock was broken by hundreds of tiny cracks along the surface, as if a meteorite had struck. "It's part of some dumb myth about a Sakhaloh native Bursting with the Legendary to save his tribe," Kiryu found herself scoffing at her own retelling. Any Burst Warrior would've been dead on sight the moment he came into view of a Legendary Pokémon. The whole tribe would've been toast. No response from Mienshao. Kiryu amended her childish story, "That's what my mom would tell us, at least.

"She used to take my siblings and me up here for a day trip. We'd have a picnic and climb on these rocks. Lin always said I was too young to play with her and Chao, but whenever my brother got too scared to climb up the tower, then Lin and I'd have fun…" Kiryu trailed off nostalgically, lost in her own memories, until she realized the irritated glare that Mienshao was giving her for rambling. The teen blushed sheepishly, and the mink returned to its meditation.

"Anyway, I thought you'd like it here, and so do I, so maybe we can bond over that, or something?" she shrugged and looked expectantly at the Pokémon, who kept her eyes closed and snout raised snootily. "But I guess you don't really know what I'm talking about, you've never even met Chao and Lin. Not that you're missing much," she gave a rueful smile, and inevitably trailed back into her memories. "We all liked coming here. Me, my brother and sister, Mom… Not Dad, though," the teen ended with a sigh, that last mention only a meaningless afterthought. She perked up, however, when her Fighting type opened a single curious eye at her monologuing.

"Well, not that I'd know," Kiryu found herself clarifying. "It's not like I can remember him or anything… Remember my own dad, that is. He left a year after I was born," it occurred to the Alley Cat that this wild animal she was talking to couldn't completely understand English, let alone derive any meaning from her prattling on. Yet when she looked up, she found the Mienshao completely focusing on her, staring intently. "Er, sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything. Y'know, considering the circumstances."

She recalled how she got ahold of Mienshao's Burst Heart in the first place. The client she had "acquired" it from had never used a Mienshao before, and she could tell from her link that she wasn't the Fighting Type's first owner. Rather than growl at her or let the matter drop, the Pokémon continued to stare, as if prodding for more. Was it drawn to the tone of her voice or something?

"Uh, I guess I'm trying to say that I understand how it feels to be abandoned. My entire family does," to try and emphasize her point, Kiryu slowly grabbed Mienshao's Burst Heart and held it out to see. The Pokémon glanced at it forlornly and gave a small sigh, not unlike Kiryu when she reflected on the past. Encouraged by a reaction from her Pokémon, Kiryu added, "Yeah, I suppose Takumi was right about one thing; we're both a couple of forgotten misfits," the Martial Arts Pokémon didn't return her gaze to Kiryu, but rather looked wistfully down at the crater, perhaps lost in some memory of her own.

"…You know, if it means anything, we can always watch out for each other," Kiryu had allowed the mink its space for a period, but then tentatively got its attention once more. "All that stuff you might've heard from me before, that was just hot air," the Pokémon eyed her cautiously, and the teen realized that she might just be having a heart-to-heart with her Pokémon. It felt good, not just to clear the air between her and Mienshao, but also to talk to someone about her troubles, especially after breaking off with Ivy.

She pointed first to her, then to Mienshao, and made a righteous fist. "Even if we're ditched, we can help each other out, right?" she waited for a reaction, hoping that her message came across to the intelligent animal. For a second, it looked like her partner was about to clasp her hand and mimic her grin.

"Skreee!"

The Skarmory seemed to swoop down out of nowhere, directly towards the Pokémon perched on the rock. It slammed into Mienshao with Steel Wing before the mink could react, sending her tumbling off the ledge and down towards the crevice below.

"Hey!" Kiryu cried out indignantly at the intruder, only for the Steel type to immediately turn on her, hissing and clanging its metal wings together loudly. The Burst Warrior and her Pokémon might've intruded on its nest, or maybe it just had a bad temper. The bird was blocking her off from the way she had arrived, effectively pushing Kiryu towards the edge of the cliff. The teen felt the wind begin to whip around her as the Skarmory prepared an Air Cutter. There was no chance of escape, save for one option. Kiryu took a breath and swung over the edge, falling towards the crater below.

Luckily, it wasn't a sheer drop down the cliffside. Rather, the slope was just steep enough to allow Kiryu to slide down ungracefully on her butt until she reached a small perch above the main valley. Her Mienshao wasn't as lucky, as she seemed to have fallen several feet before rolling directly into the crater, next to some dark blue rocks.

Once she calmed her nerves, Kiryu glanced back upwards, finding the Skarmory circling overhead, making sure that the two didn't climb back up just yet. She turned back towards the rocky surface below and sighed with relief as Mienshao picked herself up, more dazed than anything. The peace was short-lived, however, as the two felt a tremor in the ground. Slight at first, then quickly growing to a deep rumbling.

A large fissure began to appear in the center of the crevice, only a couple feet away from where the Fighting type had landed. Then, from out of the ground, the blue rocks erupted, sending small fragments of stone flying through the air. Kiryu shielded her eyes from the debris, only to eventually open them and find that those blue boulders weren't so inanimate after all. A furious-looking Gigalith burst out of the ground and towered over the Pokémon that disturbed its slumber.

Kiryu gasped at the sight and fumbled for Mienshao's Burst Heart. When she held it up to return her Pokémon, however, it wouldn't activate. At first, Kiryu thought that the thing was somehow busted, and slapped it with her palm to get it working. She then looked toward Mienshao, and found her Pokémon not cowering in fear, but rather holding her ground, sleeves raised in preparation for an attack. The Gigalith in front of her leered back at her in anger, the ground trembling with each stomp it took. Of course. A Burst Warrior gets to choose whether or not to let a Pokémon out, but the Pokémon must choose when to return back in. Such was the dualist nature of Bursting, or some crap like that.

Kiryu stood up on the ledge and surveyed the battlefield. There was about ten feet both upwards to the top of the cliff and downwards to the mouth of the crevice. The crater made for a makeshift colosseum for Mienshao and the monster, giving little room for cover but a fair amount of space for running about. An idea occurred to her. If Mienshao didn't want to Burst with her partner, maybe she'd rather fight in a more traditional way.

"Hey, Mienshao!" Kiryu yelled, and both Pokémon glared upwards at her, "Uh, try and keep your distance! Use a Force Palm to paralyze or something," Geez, was that how Suki always had to battle? How was Kiryu supposed to know that her Pokémon would follow orders? How uncivilized.

Mienshao lurched forward and slung her sleeve towards her opponent, surprising the Gigalith with the attack's long range. The Force Palm connected and sent a rippling shockwave through the Rock type's body, but the monster merely growled and stomped closer. It launched a Headbutt downwards at Mienshao, but it was easily dodged by the agile Pokémon. She jumped to the side and hit with another Force Palm across the Gigalith's back. It flinched and strained to turn around, only to be met with a Pound to the face.

"Nice one!" Kiryu grinned as Mienshao's paw connected with the Gigalith's cheek. The Fighting Type gracefully landed, back turned on the Compressed Pokémon. She didn't see her enemy immediately shake off the blow and prepare an attack of its own. Kiryu saw it coming, but didn't even think to shout a warning until it was too late. Mienshao turned around just in time to get a Mud Slap right in the eyes. She cried out and blindly swung a sleeve in the direction of the danger, only for it to lightly brush off the Gigalith's body. "Wipe off the mud!" Kiryu ordered, but by the time her Pokémon could see again, the Rock type had already taken the opportunity to make its exterior even stronger with Iron Defense.

Mienshao got closer and tried another Force Palm, but her arm was stopped dead in its tracks by the rock monster's armor, barely leaving a scratch. Gigalith responded by leaning in and trying to crush the mink with a giant foot. Mienshao quickly backed up to avoid the attack, but she lost track of the wild Pokémon's next move. The Gigalith spit several stones into Mienshao's abdomen with Rock Blast. Kiryu's Pokémon was knocked backwards, and for a moment her trainer found solace that there would be time to recover while the Gigalith had to lumber over to the end of the crater. There was no reprieve, though, as Mienshao's opponent slammed its body into the ground, sending tremors toward the cliffside above. Kiryu's eyes widened as a several rocks began rolling from above towards Mienshao in a Rock Slide. "Mienshao, get up!" Kiryu shouted desperately, finally giving the Martial Arts Pokémon a heads-up to run away. Mienshao scrambled to her feet and ran along the edge of the crater, out of the path of the boulders.

It was at this point that Kiryu acknowledged the trouble she might be in. If Mienshao got knocked out, she'd be alone trying to climb a cliff with an angry Gigalith on her tail. They had landed some nice hits in the beginning, but now they could only whittle down its stamina, and it was only a matter of time before her Pokémon was crushed by a quarter-ton iron body.

While she struggled to think of a way out of things, Mienshao took her own initiative and raced back towards the Rock type, jumping in the air with Jump Kick. This was swiftly ended by a single stone, kicked by the Gigalith's leg. The Smack Down move slammed into Mienshao's stomach and immediately turned her momentum towards the stony ground. She landed flat on her stomach and didn't seem eager to get back up. The Compressed Pokémon crept forward, each footstep sending shockwaves across the crater. This wasn't good, Kiryu thought. She and Mienshao were screwed. Unless the trainer could find a way out of this.

From her vantage point, Kiryu caught several large boulders at the top of the cliff through her peripheral vision. Every time the Gigalith took a step, they precariously wobbled at the edge of the precipice. The entire rock wall flanking the crater was becoming unstable. The teen recalled what had happened when Gigalith used its Rock Slide. If she could make a little landslide of her own, she might just bury the monster in a few more boulders than it bargained for. All it would take was a suicidal sacrifice on her part. Perfect.

"Yo!" Kiryu quickly scooped up a handful of pebbles and tossed them across the field. Gigalith's stony head creaked away from Mienshao and towards the human on the ledge. "Lugnut! Over here!" the Rock Type's eyeholes narrowed and it fired another Rock Blast at the vulnerable Burst Warrior. Kiryu survived on the skin of her catlike reflexes, hitting the deck as the stones crashed into the cliffside. Kiryu covered her head from the mineral fragments falling on her, peering over to see the entire rock shelf to the left of the crater about to collapse. Just one more tremor. The monster continued to stare up at her, peeved that she wasn't paste on the wall yet. Mienshao had managed to crawl out of her opponent's shadow.

"Your mother was a Vanillish!" Kiryu taunted the wild Pokémon, then locked eyes with her own partner. _"Jump,"_ she mouthed to Mienshao, whilst the rock monster roared at Kiryu from below. Without moving at all, its eyes glowed with a bright light, which then shot out from inside the Gigalith's body towards Kiryu's ledge. She had no room to run away from the Power Gem, so the Alley Cat only crouched down buried her face in her hands. The attack ended up hitting slightly too low and blasted off a chunk of the outcropping from underneath Kiryu's feet, almost causing the human to tumble into the crater with the Pokémon. The Gigalith reared back to fire another shot, but there was no time.

A heavy rumbling, even greater than when Gigalith burst from the ground, filled the area. Both Pokémon in the valley turned to the left to see an avalanche of rocks and dirt rolling right towards them. The heavy Pokémon could only give a shout of alarm while the Fighting type tried to take its trainer's advice. She had to avoid the landslide that would bury them both. Kiryu kept her face hidden as the noise from the boulders rose into a raging cacophony of crumbling while smashed rocks and dust filled the air. She could neither see nor hear the fate of either Pokémon below her.

Still uncertain whether or not she was still alive, Kiryu dared to look downwards. Below her, the crater was now partially filled in with a sheet of broken boulders, pebbles and dirt. Only the red peaks of the Gigalith's crystals poked out from the top, as the rock slide seemed to have toppled the creature onto its back. Mienshao was nowhere to be found. Kiryu's stomach dropped. Did she just kill her own Pokémon?

Suddenly, dirt erupted out of the ground where the Gigalith once stood, revealing that it was very much alive. Kiryu swore to herself as the Rock type painstakingly erupted from soil around it. Its body was scratched and dented almost beyond recognition, and its eyes were focused on the human with intense hatred. Kiryu only hoped that they gave everything to Espeon in lieu of a will.

Then, down from the sky, a rescuer came. Not a bird, not a plane, but Mienshao, slamming her knee into Gigalith's head from several feet in the air. The wild Pokémon had no idea what hit it. Kiryu watched open-mouthed as Mienshao perfectly executed her Bounce attack for the first time. That definitely explained how she escaped the landslide. After being critically kneed by Mienshao in the back of the cranium, the monster merely gave a weak moan and collapsed under its own weight, unconscious. Mienshao landed gracefully on her feet and turned her head towards a gaping Kiryu.

"Mienshao… That was awesome!" Kiryu eventually found her words and cheered. Eager to get to higher ground, Mienshao used Bounce once again and jumped the entire length upwards to join Kiryu on her perch. Upon landing, the Fighting type was met with a hug from her partner. The Pokémon flinched, but didn't recoil from Kiryu's embrace. "We kicked that thing's ass!" Kiryu let go and clapped her hands in triumph. "Er, I mean, you kicked his ass, right?" The Martial Arts Pokémon found herself sharing in the Burst Warrior's enthusiasm, nodding her head and giving a small smile of her own. Kiryu returned it and quieted down, thinking about the next move with her Pokémon. She slowly palmed Mienshao's Burst Heart before showing it to her partner once more.

"Now that we know each other, I'd say that we make a pretty good team," Kiryu said. Mienshao revealed no emotion at this, but remained focused on the Alley Cat's speech. "And, like I was saying before, let's make sure that we have each other's backs, okay?"

* * *

As the sun set over the forest horizon, Skarmory nestled into its comfy bed on top of the lookout tower. It shuffled around in the twigs and pieces of scrap metal that made up its nest before closing its eyes for a well-deserved rest. This was promptly interrupted by a Drain Punch across the face, knocking it off the tower and almost sending it plummeting towards the ground, were it not able to fly.

Skarmory gave a bewildered look at its attacker, a Mienshao Burst Warrior. Apparently, the Fighting Type burst had leapt up the metal stairs without a sound and snuck up on the unsuspecting Flying type. The Skarmory squaked at the intruder indignantly, but quickly turned tail and fled as the Burst Warrior prepared another punching attack.

Once the bird was gone, Kiryu Unbursted and gave her Pokémon a high-five. The two looked down on Tiaga Forest, Lake Lorde and Winterspring, sprawled out across the horizon. Kiryu had to admit that a view like that, the wind in her hair and a new partner beside her made her feel like a king of the world.

* * *

Takumi scowled at his wristwatch while Suki absently stroked the fur of Kitsune on the back porch. After deciding not to make an appearance for yesterday's session, Kiryu was now on the cusp of lateness the following Saturday.

"If Miss Camilla doesn't arrive in the next minute, I'm afraid that will be the final straw," Takumi irritably informed a daydreaming Suki, who gave an abstract "Mhm," in response. The vigilante seemed not to notice nor care as he focused on counting down the final wasted seconds spent on Kiryu. He tried, didn't he? "Our lessons will be finished, and I'll inform Dean Tamura punish her as he wishes."

"No need to sound so broken up about it, Mr. Genji," came a wry voice from above the two humans. Takumi and Suki whirled around to see Kiryu, already Bursted with Mienshao, lounging on the roof tiles of Suki's cottage. Her unorthodox appearance forced a smile from Suki, who put her hand over her lips to avoid chuckling, and a nine-tailed wag from Kitsune. Takumi, predictably, betrayed neither surprise nor humor; his frown remained the same.

"Miss Camilla," he intoned with disdain, "have a nice break? Would you care to join us today?"

"Of course," Kiryu gave a sweet smile before hopping off the roof and over the heads of the two adults, "on one condition, though. Today, I'd like to battle Ragune. I'm- _We're_ ready to face him," Suki gave Takumi a nervous glance, and the professor answered with an unimpressed yawn.

"Miss Camilla, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that you're already on thin ice, what with your disappearing act, yesterday-"

"The reason I disappeared," Kiryu interrupted, "was that I was giving your advice a chance for a change. So how about you take a chance on mine and let me battle your Gallade?" the female forced herself to drop the usual grimace she had when speaking to her teacher, managing to make her remark come off as a semi-genuine request. As she expected, the appeal to Takumi's ego worked. The man paused, then slowly reached for his main Burst Heart.

"…Very well, Miss Camilla. Prove to me that you've been productive these past couple days. I won't be holding back against you," Kiryu accepted, and soon the two were in their usual positions on the battlefield.

"On my mark," Suki had excitedly volunteered to referee once more, very grateful for the change of events from the usual sessions. Kiryu snapped her Mienshao's sleeves in the air to practice, while Takumi tossed and caught his partner's Burst Heart whilst analyzing his opponent, ready to Burst the moment the signal was called. "Three… Two… One… Begin!"

The Fighting Type Burst shot forward, ignoring the flash of light from Takumi's Burst Heart, and attacked. The Gallade Burst didn't even attempt to dodge, nor did he take his gaze off of Kiryu as she clapped her sleeves over his head in a Fake Out attack. She was about to follow up with a more powerful punch when Takumi's leg shot into the air with lightning speed and slammed into Kiryu's stomach, sending her flying across the field.

"Steadfast," Takumi said simply, not even taking the time to explain Kiryu's errors like he normally did. The ability clicked in the girl's mind nevertheless, and she mentally berated herself for giving Takumi the advantage. Her mentor used his newfound speed to sprint across the field, somehow even faster than the already above-average speed he had showcased with Ragune before.

The Psychic/Fighting type didn't expect it, however, when Kiryu ran to meet the speeding bullet of a Burst Warrior rather than attempt to avoid his charge. The Mienshao Burst brought forward a paw of her own and connected it with Takumi's left blade, which he used to block. Takumi's second blade flew out from behind his back and raked Kiryu with Slash. Before the vigilante could follow up on this, Kiryu pushed herself backwards, completing the U-Turn and landing a safe distance away.

Kiryu smirked at her first new trick. She and Mienshao had come up with it on the way home the previous day. She knew that Takumi would try and get too close for a Mienshao to use her arms, but now she could easily retreat to a comfortable range. She capitalized on the tactic by throwing a Force Palm towards Takumi. Even with Kiryu's advantageous distance from her opponent, the Gallade Burst immediately reacted to the move and ducked underneath before throwing his weight towards Kiryu, charging once more. It was time for Kiryu's second trick.

Just as Takumi reached her position, the Fighting type launched into the air with Bounce, leaving nothing but dust for Takumi to Slash at. As she soared upwards, she saw the opposing Burst Warrior stop and calmly watch her start to descend. Kiryu determinedly brought a knee forward to crash into Takumi's head, but her professor activated Psycho Cut at the last second, slashing his blade into her leg and dealing as much damage as she just did to him. Kiryu gritted her teeth and allowed the Bounce to spring her into the sky once more. From above, she launched a sleeve downwards with Drain Punch. The appendage was barely blocked by Takumi, but still sapped his energy while Kiryu daintily landed back on the ground.

The two Burst Warriors locked eyes, one with the usual callousness and the other with cautious determination. Then, shockingly, the twenty-two-year-old coughed and dropped to a knee. Had she done that much damage to Takumi already? Was she actually on the cusp of victory?

Eagerness getting the better of her, Kiryu raced forward and leapt at Takumi's head with Jump Kick. Takumi kept his body bowed and remained motionless as she approached. Kiryu held her breath as she flew, leg extended to land the finishing blow. Then, just a foot away from her target, the Gallade snapped his head up, eyes glowing pink. The teen felt her joints immediately lock up as all of her momentum abruptly ceased. Once again, she was held in midair by Ragune's Psychic.

"Quite interesting parlor tricks, Miss Camilla," Takumi said calmly, getting back to his feet with little effort, "and you pulled it off with some actual coordination. Dare I say I sensed some improvement?" Rather than assault the Fighting type with a super effective move, Takumi released the telekinetic hold and allowed Kiryu to fall onto the ground.

"I thought you said you'd would go all-out on me," Kiryu picked herself up and complained disappointedly. She thought she was going toe-to-toe with Ragune at his best, but that obviously wasn't the case. He very well could've knocked her out in one hit with that Psychic attack.

"I didn't bother using my full strength, sure," Takumi responded casually, "but believe me when I say that I was using what I thought was necessary to handily defeat you," Takumi left the thought off there as he Unbursted and sauntered towards the house, leaving Kiryu hanging.

"…So, am I supposed to take that as a compliment?" Takumi's student asked confusedly.

"Tell me, Miss Camilla, how did it feel to battle with a stronger bond like that?" Takumi turned and pointed at Kiryu's Burst form.

"Um, good, I guess?" Kiryu offered. The more she thought about it, though, the more she realized that her maneuvers felt so much more natural, just like they did with Liepard or Espeon. There was no arguing with Mienshao in her head, no threatening of bodily harm if they Unbursted: just togetherness in battling.

"Well, let me put it this way," Takumi put a thoughtful hand to his chin and paused. Then, with the faintest shadow of a smirk, "You've finally taken the time to bond with your Pokémon, and you lasted more than a minute against Ragune. I'd call a link like that… 'satisfactory,' for now."

"Really?!" Kiryu's voice cracked before she could stop herself. Suki clapped her hands together in delight from the side. Covering up the burst of emotion, the former thief said sarcastically (but not untruthfully), "Geez, Takumi, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Enjoy it while it lasts," her professor rolled his eyes. "Now, why don't you try that U-Turn again, and work on your footing…" Kiryu listened much more intently to Takumi's instructions, as even his dry lecturing on battling couldn't take her down from the high she was on. If buying into this spiritualist crap got her a new partner and friend in Mienshao, then it was a pill she could swallow. She would enjoy it while it lasted, indeed.

* * *

 **Geez, 11,000 Words?! I definitely didn't mean for this chapter to be so long, though I'm proud of myself for getting it done. That said, I'll try not to make a habit of it in the future.**

 **The first chapters of this story have been heavily focused on Kiryu, so it's natural that a lot of her friends were going to be included. In the original roleplay, most of Kiryu's interactions were with Takumi and Suki, who were both aged down to her level at the time. Obviously I couldn't use the same dynamic in the rewrite, so some of Kiryu's lesser known friends have gotten a bit more screen time.**

 **Kiryu's main friend, both in the original RP and here, was Ivy. Mewblade originally created her to give Kiryu someone to talk to while other characters were battling. Ivy technically wasn't an "official" original character, since an OC submission sheet was never created for her. Unfortunately, while she was originally Kiryu's best friend, she very quickly faded into the background as more people joined the roleplay, giving Kiryu more characters to talk to. Without spoiling anything, Ivy goes MIA for a period, then makes a single return appearance to give an somewhat depressing conclusion to her relationship with Kiryu.**

 **Ivy didn't have many defined character traits in the RP, so I've tried to flesh her out, give her a more impactful role and still preserve that friendship with Kiryu. I've also included, spoiler alert, that forlorn conclusion to her friendship with Kiryu, while removing some of the "fantastical" elements of the original. She and Kiryu go their separate ways, as many real childhood friends must do. I hope that I've made that kinship impactful on its own, while also tying it to Kiryu's overall character arc.**

 **Ivy was one of many "companion characters," as I call them. They're supposed to be supplementary to the main OC, but many companion characters became more iconic and important to the plot than most of the "main" characters in the story! Next time you'll be fully introduced to one of the most famous companions of them all.**


	10. Dialogue

The only thing predicable about Winterspring weather was its unpredictability. Its two namesake seasons held a wide variety of temperatures and conditions, all liable to change on a dime. Such was the case during the region-wide heat wave. Residents woke up one morning to sixty-degree heat and later watched the sun set under a wind chill factor below zero. The next day, a light snow had fallen onto the ground, a precursor to two or three months straight of potential precipitation. Not even the manmade heat of the city could fully stave off the drifts, but preparations were already being made to ensure that business carried on with little hindrance.

For Kiryu, the approaching winter and holiday season meant the end of the semester, as well as the end of her detention with Takumi. She'd be freed from punishment and rid of her classes, at least for a few weeks, and the date couldn't come soon enough. The past two weeks had been spent on a brutal training schedule for her and her Pokémon, and each session left her sore and exhausted. With one half of the week spent diligently training and the other recuperating, little time was left for much else. Kiryu struggled to think of what she'd do with her newfound free time after classes ended.

On the Friday after the deep freeze, Kiryu was still expected to be present at the usual training grounds. After a couple miserable minutes of practice, the bone-chilling temperatures and obscuring powder from the sky eventually caused Suki to suggest that they take practice inside for the remainder of the day. Takumi surprised his pupil by agreeing immediately, ending their exercise to join Ms. Harmoni for supper. And so, the two got to see the interior of Suki's house for the first time.

The secretary's cottage was very quaint and cozy, consisting of a single room that served as an entrance, living area and dining room. A sturdy antique table was set between the sliding door to the back porch and the sofa in the living room. An open doorway led into a small kitchen. Stairs seemed to lead to a single bedroom on the second floor. Suki let the two make themselves at home before heading into the kitchen to prepare the food.

While Kiryu channel surfed on the CRT television, legs propped up on a coffee table, Takumi had his head buried in a nearby cabinet. Ever since Suki mentioned that she owns a copy of every RéBURST National Tournament from 1971 onwards, Kiryu could tell that the man was just itching for a chance to see them for himself. Turns out that Takumi's reprieve from training wasn't out of the kindness of his heart after all. What a shocker.

"These will make for a suitable substitute to training," he held up a copy of the 1993 Nationals. "You need to work on predicting your opponent. These examples should help."

"Hm?" Kiryu was preoccupied with the action movie on TV, in which a Jolteon was being thrown out of a moving plane by its Drapion opponent. The footage was cut off as Takumi wordlessly put the VCR in the player, prompting an annoyed "Hey!" from his pupil. Takumi sat down without acknowledgement. Kiryu figured that resistance wasn't worth the effort, so the two began watching the championship.

Suki returned briefly to join the others but left once more as a timer went off in the kitchen. By that point, teacher and trainee were both invested in the on-screen action. "Oof, that's gotta hurt," Kiryu winced as a Medicham Burst spun around an opposing Gorebyss's Waterfall before throwing a Thunder Punch into the Warrior's back. She sat on the floor now, absently scratching the stomach of a content Kitsune.

"Pay attention to the prediction game," Takumi motioned toward the screen, "it's not just knowing your opponent's Pokémon moves, but also where and when they strike," his Cinccino was curled up on the male's lap. Curled up in his silky tail, it looked like Takumi had a breathing pillow on his legs.

"Wait, I thought that ability was banned," the Gorebyss Burst's Rain Dance allowed it to rocket across the field thanks to Swift Swim.

"It was legal until the 2011 tournament last year," Takumi clarified, "and only when used in conjunction with Drizzle," By the time Suki announced that the food was ready, Kiryu still hadn't figured out how a complex ban like that worked.

"Come on over," she carried a large pot of steaming curry, and was followed closely behind by Ragune as he lived up to his gentlemanly Pokédex entry. Several teacups and an accompanying teapot orbited around his head like planets before being levitated onto the table, all without spilling a drop. By the time everyone had sat down to eat, the light snowfall had petered out. It left a clear view out the porch door of a grey sky, the crystalline water of Lake Lorde and many large pine trees, lightly dusted with white.

"Hey, thanks for the grub, Suki," Kiryu said to their host, and received a shy nod in acknowledgement. After hearing only silence from her fellow Warrior, Kiryu glanced over to find Takumi buried in his bowl, already having served himself, shoveling its contents into his mouth. "We're both _very_ appreciative," she added with a wry smile.

"…This is really good," the 22-year-old finally said, staring at his mostly empty curry bowl. This actually earned a giggle from the hostess, which, in turn, turned Takumi's face a shade of pink.

"Thanks, it's a family recipe," Suki beamed. "Feel free to have some more."

The three continued to eat, with Kiryu almost matching her professor in pace and messiness. Suki, on the other hand, made sure to use the proper utensils and ate only in small sips, though the decorum of her guests didn't erase the content smile on her mien.

Kiryu went to soak her bread, but her hand only felt the tablecloth that her food once sat on top of. Her eyes shot downward just in time to catch the woosh of a tail-scarf under the wooden table. The teen sighed at the annoying rodent and made to ask for the salt, only to find it floating in her direction before she uttered a single word. This time her head whipped around to the Gallade at the table. Ragune nodded, as if to say, _"You're welcome,"_ and returned to his own meal.

"Are you sure Ms. Harmoni is fine with your wild Pokémon running around the house?" Kiryu asked pointedly, making a mental note to make a tinfoil hat later.

"I'm sure that Suki doesn't mind," Takumi patted his mouth with his napkin.

"Oh no, I don't mind," Suki parroted quickly, not wanting to cause a fuss and earning an eyeroll from the sixteen-year-old. It also reminded Kiryu of something else she had been meaning to ask.

"So, Takumi, where are the other two, anyways?" she questioned, "the Roserade and Froslass?"

"Summer and Winter?" Takumi's gaze didn't leave his bowl. "Most likely out training, I'd expect."

"Without you or Ragune?" the male shrugged in response.

"Before I was strong enough to maintain a Burst with my father's Pokémon, Summer and Winter followed their own personal training regimen. They much prefer it, actually. Ragune only occasionally accompanies them when they go off on their own," the Psychic/Fighting type merely sipped his tea, eyes closed, betraying no emotion like usual. Suki put down her spoon and leaned in, interested.

"Wow, you can just let them go like that?" her own Pokémon, begging for food under the table, glared indignantly at the receptionist until she'd give in. "I can understand Winter, maybe, but how can your Roserade manage in these conditions?"

"On the contrary," Takumi explained, "the more adverse the environment, the better the training. They're both loyal enough, at least to my father, to return to train with Ragune and me."

"Huh," Kiryu said thoughtfully, admittedly impressed by that kind of resolve. The group ate in silence once more, watching a red sun peek out from behind a mass of grey clouds. After finishing her meal first, Kiryu left the dirty dishes on the table and went back to the living room, towards the cabinet that held Suki's VHS tapes. There was something else bugging her that she wanted to see.

"It seems that the worst outside has passed," Takumi remained seated and called to his pupil from the dining area. "When we're finished here, perhaps we'll begin sparring once more in the yard."

"I hope this weather doesn't send you packing back to Sinnoh," Suki said quietly to Takumi. "All this snow already, and we aren't even close to the worst of-"

 _THUMP THUMP THUMP_

Three heads jerked toward the front door at the sound of intense pounding, Kiryu almost slamming her head into the cabinet shelf. "Expecting someone?" Takumi raised an eyebrow at Suki, who shook her head, visibly frightened. The noise was much louder than a normal knock, as if someone was battering down the door. And it continued.

 _THUMP THUMPTHUMP THUMP THUMP… THUMP THUMP_

Kiryu put a hand to her Burst Heart, as did Takumi whilst motioning for Suki to answer the door. Suki eventually unfroze and crept over to the entrance, where the pounding had suddenly stopped. Takumi and Kiryu stood up slowly, preparing to Burst at a moment's notice. Takumi remained in the dining room, returning his Pokémon to their Burst Hearts. Kitsune stayed crouched under the table, growling softly.

Suki shakily put a hand on the doorknob and looked through the peephole. Silence on the other side. Peering through, the female saw nothing on the front porch, or in the yard around the rocks. Looking back at the other two, she shrugged and cautiously opened the door. Nothing.

"Huh," Suki muttered, crossing her arms in the cold and looking from left to right. There was nobody around at all, and it seemed like the coast was clear. Suki went back inside.

 _SLAM_

The banging noise from the back door, and the accompanying crash in the dining room, caused Suki to yelp and Kiryu to almost hit her head a second time from jumping so high. The two girls raced to the source of the slam to find the porch door open and Takumi on the ground. A sudden weight had landed on his back, causing him to grunt in surprise and pain.

"Hey, Takumi!"

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?!" Takumi violently shoved the mass on his back into the dining table, sending the Ninetales under it into a fit of barks and growls. The downed Burst Warior stood up along with the intruder, who revealed himself to be a young man, about the same age as Takumi. Slightly shorter and more filled out than Mr. Genji, the male had short black hair cut into bangs and a very boyish face. A bit immature, for a burglar.

"Well don't you know?" the new arrival's voice sounded much more loud and enthusiastic when compared to Takumi's monotone drone. "I'm staying here for a week with you!" Takumi looked as if someone had dropped his scarf into a vat of sulfuric acid.

"Oh no," Takumi shook his head vigorously. "Definitely not. You're headed back to Veilstone this instant," the intruder wagged his finger in Takumi's face, and was lucky not to have it bitten off.

"Now now, Takumi, didn't I tell you I might have to come down for a surprise visit?" this time Takumi forcefully grabbed his fellow Sinnoh native by the shoulder and turned him towards the open door.

"Yes, and do you remember what I said would happen if you went through with it?" he growled through gritted teeth. The newcomer paled and backed away, palms up in surrender.

"Woah, hey, Takumi, you wouldn't make a sculpture out of me in front of your guests-" for the first time since their struggle, both men took notice of the other two humans in the house. Suki looked on the verge of collapse after the knocking ordeal, and Kiryu wasn't sure whether to feel triumph, indignation or disgust at seeing her rival treated so immaturely.

"Well hello, what have we here?" The voice of Takumi's acquaintance seemed to drop an octave upon spotting the females, and his expression snapped from boyish excitement to… Something reminiscent of a deer in rut. "Takumi, aren't you going to introduce me to your beautiful guests?" Yep, definitely disgust, Kiryu concluded.

"Very well," Takumi sighed. "This is my pupil and coworker, Kiryu Camilla and Suki Harmoni. Ladies, this pond scum is sometimes referred to as Clover Fields."

"Call me Clove," the male strode over to Suki and Kiryu like a peacock in full plumage and smoothly grabbed both their hands, planting a kiss on each one, "though I'll respond to anything you'd prefer. It's a pleasure to make your… acquaintance."

"Geez," Kiryu hastily pulled her hand away and wiped it on the back of the sofa. Despite Mr. Field's innocent (and admittedly cute) face and expression, Kiryu immediately recognized the intentions behind the façade. She had seen his face on Tula's pawn boyfriends, many a party-goer and one particular homeless nuisance. Kiryu wanted nothing to do with it, and it annoyed her further when Suki, despite still looking a bit traumatized, responded to Clove with a nervous giggle. A knowing grin formed on the boy's face.

"Alright, Casanova," Takumi stomped across the room and yanked Clove back by his collar, "what gave you the bright idea of trying to break and enter Miss Harmoni's house?" Mr. Fields seemed genuinely surprised by the accusation.

"Miss Harmoni's?" he repeated. "You mean this isn't your new digs, Takumi?"

"No- wait no, what?!" Takumi did a double take. "Of course not! I know for a _fact_ that I've told you I'm living in an apartment! This house is in the middle of nowhere. How did you even know I was here?"

"Oh, that's easy, I'd just gotten off the boat when I saw you walking out of the city, so I decided to follow you here," Clove said nonchalantly, prompting further confusion from Mr. Genji. In the back of her head, Kiryu felt a bit envious at the ease at which this guy got under Takumi's skin. Envy, and a bit of respect.

"If you followed me here, why did you wait an hour before making yourself known?"

"Because I got lost, duh," Clove shrugged, tapping his own head mockingly. "This place is in the middle of nowhere, you know."

"No, I-"

"Excuse me," Kiryu interrupted the increasingly inane argument, "but how, exactly, do you two know each other?"

"College," the two answered simultaneously. While Takumi facepalmed himself, Clove went into detail. "Best friends in college! Fellow Burst Warriors against the world! We've been watching each other's backs since freshman year at Sunyshore U, number one party school in Sinnoh!" Clove's supposed best friend groaned.

"The tuition was free. And it was my saving his backside most of the time."

Amidst the bickering, Suki managed to get over her mini panic attack. "Well, Mr. Fields, if you're not a burglar, and, uh, you've been out in the cold, do you want something to eat?" Once again, the composure of the Sinnoh native switched on a dime.

"Why of course, gorgeous, I'd be delighted," the chauvinist slid around the table while the two Burst Warriors behind him retched.

As the group sat back down, the newcomer unintentionally ended up sitting in Suki's original seat. Clove was instantly accosted with the snapping jaws of a fiery nine-tailed fox. "Woah!" while Suki frantically called for Kitsune to sit, Clove grabbed a spoon and, with surprising agility, scooped up a piece of meat from the lukewarm curry and tossed it over the head of the dog. Smelling the first table scraps of the night, Kitsune leapt up, caught the food in midair and ate it in one swallow. He then pounced on Clove and assaulted him with licks, all tails wagging in unison. "Hey now, down Simba!" Clove laughed.

Kiryu could tell that Takumi was a bit preoccupied at the moment, what with his face buried in the tablecloth, so she attempted to make some conversation of her own. "So, Mr. Fields, you graduated in the same year as Takumi? What are you doing for work now?" Despite her initial disdain for Takumi's friend, Kiryu had learned in the past month that civility was a virtue.

"I'm working on my masters in Geology, so that's Dr. Fields to you," Clove replied with a laugh. "But yeah, I transferred to Veilstone City and have been working on sediment projects ever since. Exciting work, I know."

"And you're staying here, in my apartment, uninvited, for how long?" Takumi found the strength to lift his head off the table.

"Just for a- here let me help you with that," Clove scooped up the dirty dishes that Suki was holding, shooting her a wink and a smile, "Just for a week, then it's back to Sinnoh. Not that I wanna stay in some crummy apartment!" Clove kept his puppy dog gaze locked on Suki. "I mean, if you've got all this extra room, Miss Harmoni, I could always stay here," the hostess stifled a chuckle, cheeks blushing into a flattered pink. Much to Kiryu's gratitude, Takumi abruptly stood and broke up the lovebirds.

"That's quite enough," he strode across the room and pushed Clove towards the exit once more. "We're leaving. Now."

"Oh," Suki seemed surprised. "Leaving so soon?"

"It's best I rein him in before he breaks into another house," after being personally escorted to the big house by Takumi, Kiryu couldn't help but glare at the hypocritical professor.

"Aw, come on, Takumi, I just got here!" Clove whined like a child. "We haven't even had a Burst battle yet! Listen, I got this new Pokémon, and I think I can actually beat you this time!" Takumi did a poor job of hiding a scoff.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I think you've done enough damage to my reputation. We can battle after we leave."

"Don't be like that, man!" Clove dodged around Takumi and pleaded, "Do it for the kid! She can learn a thing or two from me," the professor rolled his eyes, but an opportunity for fun had arisen for the sixteen-year-old across the table.

"Yeah, Mr. Genji, maybe I _can_ learn a thing or two," Kiryu piped up. "What's wrong, did Clove beat you back at Suny U?" Hey, she thought to herself, if anyone can defeat the vigilante of jackassery, maybe it's the guy who can annoy him the most. While Takumi sighed, Clove gave the teen a thumbs-up.

"…Fine. But you best pay attention, Miss Camilla," Takumi ordered. "Not that you'll learn anything from this hack," Clove pumped a fist in the air in triumph before following the others to the backyard. If nothing else, the teen thought, she wouldn't be the one getting the snot kicked out of her, this time.

Takumi and Clove took the usual spots on the battlefield, the latter filling in where Kiryu normally stood. It was still extremely cold, everyone remained bundled in their jackets, but the clouds had broken enough to let a setting sun shine through. The snowfall had left a thin white sheet over a muddy ground. When Clove nearly slipped and fell into the muck, Kiryu began to wonder if Mr. Field's skills lived up to the hot air he was spewing. "This one's for all the ladies in the audience," the Sinnohan flashed the girls a winning grin, which was only returned by Suki.

"I'm afraid you're not impressing anyone," Takumi called from across the yard, tapping his foot impatiently.

"You sure about that? Not even with _these?_ " Clove pulled back a sleeve and flexed a fair bit of muscle, compared to Takumi's wiry frame. Kiryu thought she saw her mentor's eye visibly twitch.

"Let's just get this over with," Takumi Bursted with Ragune, prompting an indignant cry from the sidelines. Of course Clove gets to fight Ragune. Takumi's adversary took out a dark red Burst Heart and activated it. He gained shiny red armor over his white shirt and grey jogging pants, as well as two crab-like pincers over his hands. "Scizor?" the Gallade Burst scoffed. "I hope you don't expect to match Ragune's blades with that bulky frame."

Takumi was off like a rocket, arms alight with Psycho Cut. His opponent merely held his ground, arms casually crossed and a dorky look of giddiness plastered on his face. As the Gallade Burst closed in, the wings of the Pincer Pokémon suddenly activated and propelled him off the ground, the buzz of vibrating metal ringing out around the house. "Actually," Clove taunted, "I'd prefer to beat you from up here," Takumi frowned and backed up from under the Scizor Burst.

"Very well then, stay up there," Takumi focused on the flying Burst Warrior while smacking his blades against each other with Swords Dance. "You're only giving me the opportunity to set up my assault," his friend gave a hearty laugh.

"No, for it is you who is being set up… On… For my assault!" Kiryu blinked. Could she feel the wind getting stronger? Takumi ignored the taunt and did a Lucky Chant. He motioned for Clove to come at him.

"Any last words before I end this?" asked the Gallade Burst confidently. The Bug type smirked.

"Just one: Razor Wind," with a mighty heave, Clove's wings launched a massive whirlwind down on Takumi, knocking him off his feet and slashing him with high-speed gusts of air.

The Gallade Burst flipped himself over in midair and landed on his feet, protected from massive damage thanks to his earlier setup. "Not bad, I'll admit, yet you failed to account for-"

"Will you two shut up and kiss already?!" Kiryu shouted next to a chortling Suki. The professor shot them a furious scowl while Clove raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"The ladies are right," he jeered. "How're you gonna hit me from down there? Magical Leaf?" the Gallade Burst closed his eyes, regained his composure and put his blades forward.

"A diligent Burst Warrior is constantly training, always striving to learn something new to be prepared for any situation," an orange ball of energy slowly grew between his hands. Before Clove realized what was going on, Takumi launched the orb and let it zigzag through the air towards him. The Focus Blast quickly met its target and created a massive explosion over the battlefield. After fighting a certain Charizard Burst, Kiryu figured, of course Takumi would want a better way to hit flying opponents.

The explosion cleared, leaving a coughing Clove hanging in midair, jerking downwards as his wings faltered. Without another word, Takumi prepared a second Focus Blast, which forced the Steel type into action. Clove regained his flight pattern and zipped close to the ground, bringing his pincers forward with Metal Claw. Takumi was forced to cancel his attack and block with Leaf Blade. His long polearm appendages kept the Scizor Burst at bay, and he was able to push Clove back into the sky without getting clamped by his opponent's claws.

Without missing a beat, Clove smoothly spun around in the air and flew down for another assault, this time with the unmissable Aerial Ace. Takumi turned and prepared for the hit, raising his arms to counterattack. The Super Effective move landed a clean hit into the Blade Pokémon's chest, and Clove laughed as he soared away scot-free. That is, until Takumi's arm came over his shoulder, locking his blade in place between the Scizor's neck and elbow. "What the?!" Clove shouted in surprise and shot upwards, trying to break Takumi's grip. He felt the blade latch onto his body and pull the Fighting type up with him. Kiryu and Suki watched in bewilderment as the battle was taken to the skies.

"Gethimoffgethimoffgethimoff!" Clove panicked and buzzed around the backyard, trying to throw off the Burst Warrior crawling across his body. Takumi expertly swung around Clove like a gymnast, avoiding the buzzsaw of metal wings on his back, and began slashing with Psycho Cut. Clove grimaced in pain and attacked back with Fury Cutter, effectively punching Takumi in the face as he held on for dear life in the air.

Finally, after flying up several feet over the house and flipping in midair, Clove felt his opponent's grip loosen. He grabbed Takumi's arm with a pincer and flung him towards the ground. The Gallade Burst didn't yell or make any noise as he fell. "Phew," Clove relievedly wiped his forehead. He then looked back at the ground, but found no Takumi splattered in the mud. That's when the Blade Pokémon Teleported above him and now came crashing down with Slash. The sudden weight sent both of them spiraling downward, back into the snow. The landing sent both Warriors rolling across the yard.

"Yep, you've definitely gotten stronger," Clove coughed, intially crumpled on the ground, but still managing to get back up on shaky legs. Takumi had only skidded a few feet before finding his footing and landing upright.

"Maybe you've just gotten weaker," the teacher smirked, an error in the space-time continuum in Kiryu's opinion. This time Takumi waited for the Scizor Burst to come at him, which Clove eventually did with Bullet Punch. Takumi felt the lightning fast attack crack across his jaw and hit back with Slash. Clove raised a pincer to grab the incoming right blade but left his own face open for the other sword to uppercut him under the chin. Clove winced and tried to throw a right hook. Takumi ducked and finished his Slash, across the Scizor's thorax. Clove fell back a pace, giving the Psychic type enough room to use Confusion.

The telekinetic wave hit the Bug/Steel type, stiffening his joints and forcing him to halt in place. For a brief second, Clove stood there, trying to regain control of his body. A second later, a quiet creaking could be heard as the metal bug tipped backwards and fell into the slush. Clove's Burst revoked, leaving a limp human lying in the snow.

"Is he… Alive?" Suki asked after a moment, stepping off the porch with Kiryu to meet the other two.

"God, I hope not," Takumi flicked his blades clean of dirt and Unbursted. The three peered over the lifeless body, one concerned, one uncaring and one unsure what to make of the guy. Takumi gave his friend a not-so-gentle tap in the side with his foot, and Clove turned back on like a light switch. He jumped to his feet, barely avoiding a four-way headbutt with the other three around him.

"Dang, I thought I had you there!" he earned another eyeroll from Takumi as he talked a mile a minute. "That was great, though! Isn't my Scizor awesome? Did you learn anything, Kiryu? I bet you got a ton of pointers!"

"Uh yeah, sure," Kiryu feigned an appreciative smile. The guy wasn't a bad Burst Warrior, but what the heck was she supposed to take from that? Not to fight Takumi? Regardless, her words at least seemed to make Clove happy.

"Great, fantastic, now let's go," Takumi put an iron lock grip around his companions arm this time around and immediately began pulling.

"See ya, Kiryu!" Clove waved at the girls as he was dragged away. "Don't worry, I'll loosen up Mr. Pompous Pants for ya next time. Catch ya later, doll face, call me sometime!"

"He never gave me his number, did he?" Suki asked quietly as an aside to Kiryu whilst smiling and waving back.

"Nope," Kiryu snickered, also waving goodbye. The secretary chuckled and turned to go inside once Takumi and Clove rounded the corner. How the two of them became friends was beyond the student. Opposites attract, she supposed. And Clove wasn't too bad a guy, all things considered.

Despite the unexpected turn of events, Kiryu hadn't forgotten her original task before Clove appeared. "Hey Suki," she followed her inside, "do you mind if I have another look at those Nationals tapes?"

* * *

"Daaang, Takumi, you work with them every other day?! How do I get in the tutoring business?" Clove lauded his best friend.

"Shut it," Takumi glowered at the pavement as the two re-entered Winterspring City. "Not another word out of your fat mouth," How, Takumi berated himself, did he become friends with this pervert?! Naturally, Clove ignored him.

"Man, have you seen the women here? For such a cold region, they're smoking hot! Do you think that Suki chick liked me? I think she did."

"Oh, definitely!" Takumi put on a faux-enthusiastic tone. "Women love it when you break into their house, tackle their guests and hit 'em with cheesy one-liners afterwards. You're truly a master of your craft."

"Aw, you really think so?"

Takumi sighed. To be fair, some circles would consider today's fiasco mild in comparison to some of Clove's past antics. "What happened to Elizabeth, anyways?" he inquired.

"Who? Oh yeah," the dark-haired male smiled slyly at the memory, "That ended in Floaroma. Too forward for me. Oh, speaking of, I took your advice!" Clove excitedly reached into his bag and shoved a cheap plastic coffee thermos in Takumi's face. "Now we have matching souvenirs! See, this one has a Burmy on it!" the man in the longcoat swatted the picture of the bagworm out of his face and walked away while Clove went to pick up the cup.

Unfortunately, it was hardly another block before Clove caught back up. "Hey, show me that Cinccino you caught!" Takumi reluctantly obliged, taking out Cotton's Burst Heart and releasing the Scarf Pokémon onto the pavement. The Normal type yipped happily at the new face and crawled up the newcomer's leg and onto his shoulder, intensely sniffing his clothes. "Aw, nice!" Clove ruffled Cotton's head, "You've always had a weakness for cute Pokémon," Cotton gave another happy shout while Takumi shook his head hopelessly.

"How's King doing?" he asked about Clove's main partner.

"Eh, he's doing alright for an old timer," Clove said neutrally. "Still hasn't gotten used to Veilstone, new atmosphere and all."

"Well, I can understand that feeling," Takumi muttered, and Clove caught on immediately. The Sinnohan gave his college buddy a pat on the back.

"It can't be all bad here, can it? Suki really does seem nice, and the kid acted way better than you made her out to be."

"You should've seen her before I knocked out her delinquent rival," Miss Camilla could only show a modicum of respect when Takumi had something to impress her with. "She only just started showing progress a couple weeks ago."

Clove didn't seem convinced. "Don't worry, she can't be worse than I was at that age. And progress is progress, right?"

"I suppose."

The two walked through the west end of Winterspring, toward the dockyards, and chatted as they passed several recently constructed buildings. Mostly it was Clove catching Takumi up on events in Sinnoh and the antics of their friends (mostly Clove's friends; Takumi, surprisingly, wasn't quite sociable enough to join the group proper). Takumi halfheartedly listened while he further considered the past few weeks of being a mentor.

Lost in thought, the teacher bumped into Clove's outstretched arm and glanced upwards. They were stopped in front of a large, rectangular building, wedged in between a storefront on either side. Pokéballs and Pokémon League insignias decorated the banner on the roof.

"Check it out," Clove ran over to the large signpost in front, advertising the purpose and hours of the business. "Says here it officially opens next week. Could be fun, right?" Takumi didn't say anything as he studied the structure. It was certainly unique.

"Hey, look at this," Clove pointed at some information at the bottom of the advert.

 _Sponsored by Infinicorp Enterprises_

Takumi's expression adopted a frown. The other Burst Warrior laughed, "You've always hated those big companies, haven't you? Gotta stick it to 'The Man,' right?"

"A bad habit of mine, I guess," the protégé said lightly, quickly averting his eyes from the sign.

"It's the Old Man rubbing off on you, is what it is," Clove turned his friend back around to face the building. "Come on, don't be a moralist. This place would be perfect for teaching that kid, don't you think?"

"You might be right," Takumi admitted, weighing his options. Maybe he'd come back for a visit after all.

* * *

While Kiryu shuffled through the various tapes inside the cabinet, Suki finished putting away the dishes and returned to the living room.

"So… How are finals going for you?" the woman asked, trying to make conversation, since it seemed like Kiryu wasn't going to leave very soon. Kiryu continued sorting through the various dates. If only she could remember the exact year…

"Pretty well, I guess," was the response. "I might not even have to write the answers on my arm this semester," the receptionist paled and hastily changed the subject.

"Which tape are you looking for?"

"This one, I think," the teen triumphantly held up the 1986 Nationals recording. "There's something I'd like to see on here. You mind?" Suki shook her head, so Kiryu went over to the VCR and inserted the box. While Suki sat down in the living room, the younger female pressed the fast-forward button and watched the screen intently. When the face she was looking for appeared, Kiryu grinned and pressed 'Play.'

Through the grainy footage the figure of a woman, only slightly younger than Suki, could be seen on the sidelines of a large arena. She locked arms with the Sawk next to her and gave the Pokémon a brief embrace before returning it to its Burst Heart and stepping onto the field. Suki blinked at the familiar face. Kiryu stepped back and admired from behind the coffee table. "This is the right one. There she is," she said.

"Who's that, now?" Suki squinted at the screen, trying to remember.

"Miko Camilla, winner of the 1986 RéBURST Nationals," the Burst Warrior couldn't help but feel a sense of pride when saying the title.

"Miko Cami- Oh!" the hostess's eyes widened in realization. "Is she closely related?" Kiryu confirmed that Miko was, in fact, her mother. "Kiryu, that's incredible! She must've gone to the Academy too, right? She must be so proud of you following in her footsteps."

Kiryu's giddiness faded a bit, "Yeah, _was_ pretty proud," Suki's bright look also faltered, so Kiryu shrugged and hastily changed the topic once more. No use dredging up old memories. "I'd only seen clips of her battling on the internet, so it's cool to be able to watch her all the way through the tournament."

The secretary looked back and forth between Miko and her daughter. She was surprised that she hadn't noticed the resemblance earlier. Miko seemed shorter than her daughter as she Double Kicked the opposing Toxicroak Burst on the footage, but she and Kiryu shared the same hair, eyes and eastern facial features. "I'm normally familiar with tournament winners, but I guess she slipped my mind at first."

"Makes sense, she only competed the one year," Kiryu replied. She glanced back at the cabinet full of recordings. "Where did you get all of these tapes, anyways?"

"Well, you know, the Harmoni family almost always had at least one Burst Warrior participating every year, and we'd get the footage each time. I ended up inheriting copies of the collection."

"I didn't really think you the type to keep track of tournaments, Suki," Kiryu snickered at her companion's fragile appearance.

"I guess us kids didn't have much of a choice," Suki smiled reminiscently. "Every year we'd go to different regions to be a support team for our Burst Warrior relatives. I enjoyed it, though," huh, Kiryu never would've guessed. Though it did make sense. Suki's relation to the RéBURST Academy founder was well-known on campus, mainly because she was the only Harmoni who actively worked in Sakhaloh.

In the background, behind Miko's battle, Kiryu could make out the pit crew of coaches, trainers, water boys and other Burst Warriors along the sidelines. That was where Suki must've worked. "Man, you had the best seat in the house," the teen would've killed to see her mother in action from there.

"I suppose so," ever so slightly, Suki's expression fell. "It was just… expected for the normal Harmoni kids to be there," normal, as in non-Burst Warrior. Someone not born with the gift of fusing with their Pokémon. It occurred to Kiryu that these tournaments provided no opportunity for people on the sidelines to shine. With such a name to live up to, Suki must've just watched her brothers, sisters, cousins, year after year. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.

"…Was it tough watching your relatives battle so often?" the student asked hesitantly. The question drew a sigh from the older girl.

"Maybe a little. My parents wanted to live up to grandpa's name. We all did. They put in so much effort into the Burst Warriors, there wasn't much time for anything else," Kiryu felt a pang of regret for showboating her mother like she was. Mom never played favorites, not even against Chao, the Suki of her family. Would Kiryu be so keen on seeing Mom battle if she had acted differently?

"Yeah, that does kinda suck," Kiryu offered, somewhat bluntly.

"Well, being the sixth out of eight in the family didn't help," the secretary joked, perking up a bit. "Half the battle was keeping seven and eight out of trouble. They grew up to be Burst Warriors, too, and I was happy to help them on the road," Kiryu nodded reassuringly as Suki continued. "In the end, though, nobody could live up to grandpa's title. None of Sugawara's kids won a National Tournament, and some of my own siblings didn't even get that far.

"After that, they all took grandpa's inheritance and started their own ventures," Suki took on a slightly rueful tone as she spilled her feelings. "Some of them still work with the Academy, some don't. I sorta ended up here," both girls glanced around the cottage. Suki's shoulders slumped.

Geez, Kiryu thought. It certainly explained a lot about Suki's presence at the Academy. After all she did for her family, they dumped her on the back of Sugawara's coattails. Kiryu had never thought about people who couldn't Burst in that way, and she felt bad for Suki. That, along with her own family issues, helped Kiryu understand the rich Harmoni at the front desk a little better.

The camera struggled to keep up with the rapid blows traded between the Sawk and Toxicroak Burst. Double Kick against Low Kick, Poison Sting versus Karate Chop, until Miko was knocked to the side by the frog's powerful left hook. The Toxicroak Burst followed up by charging the dazed fighting type and throwing a Strength punch towards his opponent's face. The Karate Pokémon raised a hand and grabbed the Toxicroak as it attacked, gritting her teeth against the shockwaves of the critical force behind the jab. Miko yanked the Burst Warrior towards her and, with her other hand, returned the damage twofold with Counter. The crowd roared throughout the stadium, clipping the audio of the footage, as Miko's adversary crumpled to the ground and Unbursted.

Even with the outcome being a foregone conclusion, decided a quarter century ago, Suki clapped happily, whooping like a true sports fan. Her enthusiasm contagious, Kiryu joined in the cheering, glad to finally see her mom's battling accomplishments. On the television, one of the sideline Burst Warriors raced off the field to meet young Miko in the center. Still in her Sawk Burst, Kiryu's mother lifted the boy up as he jumped into her arms. It looked as if she broke his back with her Pokémon's strength.

"Who's that?" Suki watched as the camera zoomed in on the two young adults. The sixteen-year-old felt an interesting feeling in the pit of her stomach. Like watching two locomotives coming at each other from opposite ends of a track.

"That'd be dear old dad," she answered dryly. Suki immediately took the hint.

"Oh," she commented, a bit quieter. "That's your father?"

"No, my older brother and sister's father," a father in nothing but genes, come a few years down the line, Kiryu remembered.

The information had shocked Suki back into her shell. "I see… I'm sorry…"

"Nah, it's fine," Kiryu waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not exactly on the best terms with either Chao or Lin at the moment, I don't really care who knows," her siblings left her cooped up in their mother's house, just like Suki was left cooped up in Winterspring. On the other hand, at least Lin never made Kiryu carry around a bag of stethoscopes for two years of nursing school beforehand.

In the awkward silence that ensued, Kiryu yawned while the Nationals footage cut to another round of the quarter finals. It was getting late, but who cared? She and Suki seemed to be getting along fine, and she'd rather not leave on a sour note. Believe it or not, the teen felt inclined to ask more about Suki's life with the Harmoni family. She had such a different life from her hostess, and it was interesting to hear about it. "So," she spoke up, getting her Suki's attention again, "were you always away from home while you went to tournaments, or did you have other stuff to fill your time with?"

"Well, I guess I didn't paint an accurate picture, did I?" Suki said sheepishly. "I always had something to do, we weren't exactly limited on a budget. Rapidash riding, record collecting, Pokémon training, I always switched around-"

"Wait, Pokémon training?" Kiryu gave her a disbelieving stare. Suki cheering in a stadium was one thing, but Suki roughing it in the wild was quite another. "I'm learning something new every hour! I can't believe that," Kiryu tried to picture a soft-spoken Suki challenging some Gym or organization to a battle, but it was impossible to imagine.

"It's true!" Suki's smiled. "I travelled all over Almia as a kid. You want to see proof?" Kiryu nodded, keeping on a skeptical face for Suki's amusement, and sent the secretary upstairs to provide evidence. While she was gone, Kiryu stopped the tape, ejected it and left it on the table. She'd watch the finals another time.

A minute later, Suki carefully treaded down the steps, a record player, vinyls, CDs and other items stacked up precariously in her hands. "I still have a lot of this collection stuff, hopefully you'll like it," she set it down on the table in the living room, and Kiryu picked up a picture frame from the top of the pile.

The frame held three photos, each one holding the adorable proof that Suki was, in fact, a Pokémon trainer at one point. The first was of a young Ms. Harmoni, dressed up in brand new hiking gear and gleefully holding up a trainer's license. While the porcelain skin and wide eyes had carried over to adulthood, the girl in the picture couldn't have been more than twelve, and the now-waist-length dark hair was cut into two ponytails that poked out from a novelty safari bucket hat. The street-hardened Alley Cat couldn't help but give into her emotions and "Aww," at the kid in the frame.

The second was the same shot of Suki, but this time with a very fluffy Vulpix in her arms. The poor Pokémon looked like it was in the middle of an intense struggle to break free and was trying to slide through Suki's arms. The effect only squeezed its neck fat up to the Fire type's face, succeeding in making Kitsune seem even less threatening than before.

The final picture was definitely taken some time later. Suki was still smiling, though her hair had grown longer and her clothes looked much more dirty and worn. The angle, this time, was a wide shot that included a few new faces. The escaping Vulpix from earlier was now a golden fire fox whose tails almost reached above Suki's head. The young trainer was also surrounded by three other friends: a Cranidos, Riolu and Glaceon gave their regards to the camera.

"Aww, that's gr- Is that Kitsune?! Adorable!" Kiryu cooed, taken in by the memories.

"Yeah," Suki stared at the frame nostalgically, "It was only for one year, but it was fun. Eventually we had to go back on the road, and it was a hassle to take everybody. Kitsune was my Pokémon long before this, though, so he stayed."

"Still, that's great that you went out there," Kiryu was genuinely happy that Suki got to have her own adventure, at least for a while. She looked up at the academy worker and gave an appreciative nod. "Thanks for showing me all this, Suki. The tapes, these pictures, it's pretty neat."

"Well thank you for being interested," Suki warmly smiled back. "It's always nice to have people over, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"Yep," for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Kiryu was having fun. It was the same feeling that she got when joking around with Ivy or pranking the Beatniks with Tula and Ayame. Eh, curfew be damned. "So what kind of music do you got, here?"

As the first few notes of "If Everyone Cared" rang through the lake house, Kiryu leaned back with her friend and let the music carry her away to a better place. Not that the current world was too bad, all things considered.

* * *

Three floors up and through a dimly lit hallway, Takumi unlocked his apartment door and stepped inside, followed closely by his temporary roommate.

"Aw man, this is it?" Clove groaned, dropping his bag on the ground in protest. "Now I _really_ wish I'd stayed with Suki!"

"It was for the greater good of everyone that you didn't. And keep your voice down, people are trying to sleep," Clove had insisted on touring the entire dockyards, so it was late into the night by the time they reached the apartment complex. Takumi glanced at the white and green Burst Hearts on his table, making sure that Winter and Summer had returned safely. He then walked over to the miniature closet and searched for a sleeping bag. "Go ahead and take the bed, I don't care."

Clove grinned. "You're the best, Takumi," the Burst Warrior ran across the room and leapt onto the bed. The rusty springs underneath the mattress creaked as the weight landed, proving to be only a slight upgrade to the linoleum floor. Clove moaned in pain and disappointment while his host hid a smirk while laying out the bag.

Clove knew that Takumi was always early to rise. He also knew that, should he keep Takumi up late into the night, he was bound to get a wakeup call from one of Takumi's Pokémon. This, combined with no television or entertainment to keep him up, allowed both males to hit the hay at the same time. With the promise of a full day tomorrow (for a guest he hadn't known would be arriving until an hour ago), Takumi turned out the lights and laid down to rest.

For several minutes, Takumi tried to sleep, but was unable to shut down. Something had been nagging him in the back of his mind for a very long while, at this point. Insufferable as Clover Fields could be, he was at least someone present who Takumi could confide in. "Clove?"

"S'up?" came a voice from above him. Takumi waffled on whether to follow through and expose himself by asking such a question.

"…What do you suppose my father would think of all this?" the silhouette on the bed shifted to gaze down at Takumi, no doubt judging him.

"Oh, I get it, this is one of late night heart-to-hearts that kids have during sleepovers, isn't it?" Clove's voice teased. "Here, let me try; how many people do you think are doing it right now?"

"Clove!"

"What?" the boy in the bed barely missed being jabbed between the eyes for his remark. "I didn't know your dad, how should I know what he's thinking up in the clouds?"

"Well you must have _some_ impression based on all that I've told you over the years,"

"You can say that again," Clove exasperatedly added.

"-and you're the person who knows me best, for better or worse," Takumi finished pointing out. "Based on that, what would he think about this life I'm leading?"

"I'm a geologist, not a psychologist," the graduate student searched for something to say, "but, uh, your dad was a really good Burst Warrior. He taught you how to battle growing up, right?"

"He was the best Burst Warrior, and he taught me everything I know today," Takumi confirmed.

"And the only reason you came here was to become even stronger, wasn't it?" Takumi wasn't sure. Searching for powerful Burst Warriors was the main reason he chose the job in Winterspring. Like he had told Clove before, Takumi assumed that the teaching would be an afterthought, an easy thing to do if he just followed his father's methods.

"My father taught me everything he knew, and I became an educator to pass that information onto the next generation," Takumi clarified, more to himself than Clove. "And yet… my father never taught anyone but me, even when he had the opportunity to. He never became a private mentor, or even entered a competition to showcase his strength," it begged the question that gnawed at Takumi. Would his father be disappointed in his son giving away the secrets and methods to their success?

"If he didn't want you to be a teacher, then he would've told you," Clove responded. "Was he the kind of guy to keep a secret from you?"

"Never," Takumi answered firmly. His father was always straightforward with him, to the point of bluntness. Still, that unspoken word, those feelings that were never spoken before he died, would always lie there in the back of his mind. Clove seemed a bit more optimistic.

"Well if that's the case, I don't see why he wouldn't like what you're doing now. You're still the strongest guy I know, you've got a steady job, heck, you're even getting somewhere with your problem students! What isn't to like about all that?"

"…Maybe," Takumi recalled the time his father had told him why he pushed his son so hard. It was after a brutal battling session, one of the first times the boy and his Ralts were almost hospitalized afterwards. "It's for my offspring's own safety," his father had told him, roughly holding his bleeding, quivering boy by the shoulders. He was protecting Takumi by teaching him how to fight. It was for his son's own good that he learn, train and grow into a Burst Warrior like his father. "One day, you'll need all the practice you can get," his father had warned.

Now Takumi was doing the same for others, be it through his own lessons or by stopping delinquents on the streets. The people were protected. And if he became even stronger along the way by defeating these weak Burst Warriors, that was even better, right? He really was following in Dad's footsteps. The more he considered Clove's perspective, the more he wanted to believe.

The thought reaffirmed Takumi's goal to succeed in his educational duties. If he wanted to promote safety, if he wanted to become stronger, and if he wanted to pass on his father's legacy, then he must prosper in Winterspring. "Thank you, Clove. This must be why I keep you around."

"Don't sweat it, man," Clove leaned over and gave his buddy a sympathetic pat on the head, and Takumi's expression softened under the cover of night. With a strengthened resolve in mind, maybe he could sleep a bit more soundly tonight.

"…Takumi?"

"Yes, Clove?"

"Tuck me in?"

"…"

"…Takumi?"

* * *

 **Clover Field's first appearance in the roleplay was on September 28th, 2012. Like I've said before, there was no OC sheet describing this character's appearance, personality or history. Bladewielder05 just kind of added him in, backstory and all. Little did anyone know, Clove would end up becoming one of the most important and memorable characters in the story.**

 **Personally, I've always liked Clove. The comic relief/straight man dynamic with Takumi has always been funny and a joy to write for. Coming from a background of comedy on this website, I guess it isn't a surprise that writing dialogue for Clove feels the most natural for me. I've also done very little to change him. I would say that the Clove you see here is 99% accurate to the original. He has been aged up alongside Takumi and Suki, and the time that he first met Takumi has also been pushed forward to college. Originally, the two grew up together as children, and were both trained by Takumi's mythical father. College just made it easier to write unfunny partying jokes and _Animal House_ references.**

 **Speaking of, there are a ton of references in this chapter, both to popular media and various fanfiction in-jokes. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun writing them in. I thought that, overall, the dialogue was very natural this time around, partly due to Clove, but also in the dynamic between Kiryu and Suki. Now if only it were as easy to write for the two actual main characters... Anyways, thanks for reading, and be sure to SMASH that review button, especially to tell me how bad the story is!**


	11. Peg

Master and apprentice walked alongside each other on a brisk Tuesday afternoon. The bustling crowds of Winterspring hastily parted, allowing the two Burst Warriors to pass as they headed south from the Academy and towards the dockyards. Kiryu's sweatshirt provided little protection against the chill, and the winter wind continuously blew the teen's raven hair across her face. She crossed her arms to keep warm and briskly brushed the locks out of her eyes, trying to keep pace with Takumi as he led her along the street. "How much farther are we going? What even is this place?" she whined, not very content with being left in the dark about their destination.

"For the last time, a place to battle other Burst Warriors," her mentor remained as cryptic as ever.

"And what the heck is that supposed to mean?" Kiryu shot back. "You can't just drag me around without telling me beforehand. And on my day off, too," Takumi gave an indifferent shrug.

"Sorry, it was the only date open for reservations," the teen looked at him confusedly.

"Reservations for what?"

Takumi kept his head down toward the sidewalk and didn't respond. Kiryu groaned at his silence before catching the vague trace of a smile on the professor's expression. The fact that he was purposefully messing with her both surprised and ticked her off even more. "I've got a life outside of school, you know. Finals are next week."

"Oh, give me a break," Takumi scoffed, "You had an entire week to study, didn't you?" Takumi had spent the previous five days trying to entertain a certain unwelcome guest from Sinnoh. Too ashamed to show his face with Clove around Kiryu and Suki, Takumi gave his pupil the entire week off.

"Yeah, well," Kiryu hesitated. Between hanging out with Suki after class and some individual training with her Pokémon, Kiryu hadn't exactly spent all her time with her nose in a book. Not that she would've done much work anyways, but she couldn't admit that to Takumi. "I've still got a paper to write for my Gen Ed, and it's not like your final will be any easier. What is it, a ten-page essay on Burst Ethics?"

Takumi didn't answer immediately. This time, Kiryu could clearly see the hesitancy on his face. "Actually, I was thinking of having the class partake in a simple sparring session for your final. For completion," Now that was truly surprising. Kiryu turned to her teacher and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you feeling okay, Mr. Genji?" she asked in a mock-concern voice. "Have you given up hope on us, or are you just going soft?"

"Don't fret, I'll be sure to make every class a living hell up until then," came the dry reply. "…But given that I've been training you without mundane test-taking, why subject the rest of the class to it?" Takumi's words were a far cry from the professor who made them fill out multiple-choice sheets on the gymnasium bleachers. Not only that, but did he just speak positively about their tutoring sessions?!

Kiryu, shocked at Takumi's remark, masked her surprise with a smirk. "Aww, don't flatter me, Takumi," she teased.

"Don't make me regret what I just said. Prove that your training hasn't gone to waste on a weak Burst Warrior."

"You make it sound like I'm being entered in a dog fight," Kiryu nudged her companion playfully. "but still, Mr. Takumi Genji, giving his class an easy A. Never thought I'd see the day."

"You shouldn't be complaining. I'm sure you have more pressing classes to focus on," Takumi pointed out.

"Don't I, though?!" the student exclaimed exasperatedly. "I have another freakin' essay due in Type Theory right before the final, then I took psychology for a Gen Ed credit and it's even worse!"

"You have Professor Okazaki?" Takumi asked. "We've talked before, I don't think he was too fond of my teaching methods," the professor's eyes narrowed, reminiscing on some conversation. Then his lips turned upward slightly. "If I recall, he's the one with the very 'horse-like' face."

Kiryu laughed, caught off-guard by the joke. Usually Takumi's quips were at her own expense. Since when did he start feeling anything besides contempt for her? A larger part of Kiryu's shock, however, was of her own reaction. It was rare for her to be even slightly at ease around Takumi, let alone find humor in something her rival said. Even still… Takumi was right, Okazaki's face _did_ look like a horse.

"That's the guy. I don't even think he can Burst, and he takes it out on us poor Burst Warriors."

"Ungrateful man," Takumi sniffed. "Didn't you use him to snitch on me earlier in the semester?" Kiryu stopped in her tracks, face turning red. Oh crap, was Okazaki of the ones she tried to sic on Takumi?

"Er, I… Maybe-"

"Here we are," Takumi paid Kiryu no heed as he walked through the western market, towards a large building situated between two storefronts.

Emblazoned on the front of the rectangular building was a stylized Pokéball with an arrow at the bottom- Kiryu recalled seeing a similar symbol in pictures of the Unova region. Other Pokémon League-related symbols covered the structure, which stretched backwards beyond the rest of the market square. It looked like it was recently built. A flashy sign in front of the front steps advertised the business:

 _Winterspring Pokémon Gym (Unofficial)_

 _First ever Gym for Burst Warriors! Test your skills like the Champions of the Pokémon League!_

 _Sponsored by Infinicorp_

"What?" Kiryu read the sign. "Sakhaloh doesn't have a Pokémon League."

"I doubt that it's affiliated," Takumi explained. "Clove and I came across it last week. I initially brushed it off as nothing more than a culturally imperialist scam for Sakhalohans who've never seen a Pokémon Gym. Naturally, I was right, so it shouldn't be any challenge for you. Let's go," the man in the longcoat started up the steps before Kiryu had a chance to respond. Her feet suddenly went cold.

"Are you sure about this, Takumi? I mean, I am one of those Sakhalohans who's never seen a Pokémon Gym before," sure, Burst battling was much more strenuous then Pokémon training, but she wasn't exactly eager to barge into one of the most prestigious bastions of the Pokémon League without any preparation.

Takumi didn't bother to turn around as he reached the door. "Don't worry about it, I scouted out the building earlier this week. Gyms aren't as powerful as you think. You'll most likely sweep their monotype team with a single Pokémon," still apprehensive, Kiryu followed Takumi into the building.

The entrance led to a small waiting room, furnished like a hotel lobby, complete with couches and potted plants. A few Burst Warriors stood around the area, surveying the new attraction. At the back of the room was a receptionist desk, which Takumi made a beeline for. Kiryu caught up as the man in the overcoat waited in line. "Dude," Kiryu said quietly, "you can't just go scheduling me for some random battle without letting me know!"

"A master Burst Warrior is always prepared for a battle, no matter the circumstances. My-"

"Father taught you that one," Kiryu finished for him briskly. "That's fine and all, but did you have to schedule it right after school?" she pouted. Takumi shrugged.

"Like I said, it was the only time to reserve two openings."

"Wait, two-"

"Welcome to Winterspring Pokémon Gym!" the receptionist greeted mechanically as the line opened up. "Sponsored by your friends and leaders at Infinicorp™, where progress is only limited to infinity and beyond!" Based in Unova, the technology company had completely dominated its home region and was responsible for bringing Winterspring into the modern day. Only rivaled by Silph co, Infinicorp controlled about a quarter of the jobs in the city. At least, that's what the commercials told Kiryu.

"Yeah, yeah," Takumi waved a hand dismissively at the receptionist, "we have a Gym Challenge scheduled for five o'clock, under the name 'Genji,'" behind the desk, a futuristic-looking door, leading into the Gym proper, slid open. Out stepped a tall woman, about the same age as Takumi, with brown hair and an square glasses. She noticed the two Burst Warriors at the desk and ran over, confident smile plastered on her face.

"Ah, Mr. Genji!" she called to Takumi. "Here for your Gym battle, I presume?"

"Correct," the professor nodded casually. Kiryu stepped out from Takumi's shadow, drawing the attention of the newcomer.

"Oh, and who's this?" despite only being a few years older than her at most, the woman leaned down and cooed warmly at Kiryu. The teen was immediately put on edge.

"This is the pupil I had spoken to you about," Takumi answered for her. Kiryu quickly stepped forward to give a proper introduction. What was she, some little kid hiding behind daddy's legs?

"Kiryu Camilla," she tried to say confidently, "Burst Warrior at RéBURST Academy. And you are?"

The woman chuckled. "Oh, well I'm not at liberty to tell you my real name. Classified information," she leaned down and whispered childishly into Kiryu's ear before standing straight with a flourish. "You can call me Lockhart, Gym Leader of Winterspring Pokémon Gym, the one and only Gym made by Burst Warriors, for Burst Warriors!" she finished. Kiryu suppressed an eyeroll. Get over yourself, she thought. You work for an e-commerce company.

"As Gym Leader, Lockhart will be our final opponent, should we successfully make it through this Gym," Takumi explained.

"Correct!" Lockhart gave a confident laugh. "Having two challengers reserve battles at the same time was quite unorthodox, but we've managed to work something special out," the Gym Leader's vague premonition didn't help Kiryu's nerves.

"Anyways," Lockhart began leading the two towards the Gym entrance, "I was telling Mr. Genji when he first came here that we've recruited only the finest Burst Warriors from around the region. In fact, in the history of this facility, we've never been defeated!" At this, Takumi openly scoffed with no amount of modesty. Kiryu noticed the Gym Leader's smile falter and decided to capitalize on the opportunity.

"Never been defeated before? Wow, that's impressive! How long have you been open?" Kiryu asked sweetly, eyes widened in awe.

"About… A month, maybe," Lockhart's corporate expression broke for a second as she scowled at the two. Quickly recomposing herself, she motioned toward the door that she entered from, "Well then, no sense in waiting. Miss Camilla, you will go through the left door into the facility, while Mr. Genji takes the right."

"We'll be battling separately?" Takumi questioned the facility manager. Lockhart nodded.

"Yes, in order to get you through the Gym on time, you'll have to battle on separate fields. Don't worry, you'll both meet up after the challenge," that was fine with Kiryu. Without Takumi critiquing her every attack, maybe she'd feel a bit less nervous… Or maybe not.

As her mentor went to walk towards the right door, Kiryu discreetly grabbed his arm. Takumi turned to glare at her, but Kiryu didn't care. "Listen, Takumi, I'm still not on board with this idea. You can't just spring this on me without telling me. I don't know if I'm strong enough," she spoke lowly. This Lockhart person kept talking about skilled Burst Warriors and seemed so confident that she'd win. On the street, Kiryu was used to picking her own battles. If she didn't choose to fight, she'd usually run away.

Takumi didn't seem affected by her plea as he tugged his hand away from his pupil, "I've already paid good money for this. These Burst Warriors are weak, you'll be fine. In fact, you don't even need to be strong. Just be satisfactory, that will get you through fine."

"Don't give me that," Kiryu shot back sharply, "what the heck am I supposed to take from 'satisfactory?'" What did he even _mean_ by that? That the best she could be was "satisfactory?" Would her skill as a Burst Warrior be anything more than that in Takumi's eyes?

The black-haired man sighed, and his expression softened slightly. "Look, you want me to praise you as a Burst Warrior? Well now's your chance to prove your worth. I wouldn't have signed you up under my name if I didn't think you could win. Now's your time to prove that our training wasn't in vain," with that, a stone-faced Takumi left Kiryu, going to begin his own challenge. Kiryu stood there for a second, considering what her former rival said, until an attendant called her over.

She wasn't sure if Takumi's words calmed or added to her nerves. Could she really challenge this Gym and win, thanks to Takumi's lessons? If she did win, would she really want to prove Takumi right once again? On the other hand, Takumi did just willingly put his reputation on Kiryu's shoulders. The idea of the stoic vigilante putting faith in a former thief somehow made Kiryu's heart beat a little slower. You had to be either _really_ confident or _really_ stupid to do something like that.

"Ladies first," Lockhart joked, leading Kiryu through the sliding door and into a large, barren room reminiscent of the Academy's gymnasium. The walls stretched several yards upwards to accommodate flying Pokémon, and arena lines were painted onto the concrete floor, leaving a large space for battling Burst Warriors. After showing Kiryu inside, Lockhart bowed and left the challenger at the edge of the arena. "Good luck to you, Miss Camilla," Kiryu took a step forward, confused.

"Wait, you're not battling me yet?" she called over to the Gym Leader.

"Oh no, that's not how a Gym works," Lockhart tittered at Kiryu's cluelessness. "First you'll have to take on one of our Gym Trainers before attempting the final challenge. I'll be watching your progress from up there," she pointed upwards, toward a set of windows that looked down on the arena from above. Kiryu almost shuddered. It was like she was being experimented on or something. "I'll be waiting for your challenge in the next room!" with that, Lockhart went through a door on the other side of the room, leaving Kiryu alone.

Kiryu paced the arena lines for a minute or two, pondering on which Pokémon to choose. She'd been doing a lot more training with Mienshao, but ultimately, she thought that it'd be best to stick with her main partner.

The door to the next room opened once more and out stepped another female Burst Warrior. Strutting with the same confident air as Lockhart, the sandy-haired woman shot Kiryu an unimpressed glance.

"I'm fighting a kid? This shouldn't take long," she mocked, and Kiryu gave a low growl. She didn't need any encouragement to take on this chick. Kiryu would knock her out for her own satisfaction.

Before a witty retort could be made, several spotlights lit up from the ceiling, forcing Kiryu to cover her eyes and turn towards the window seats.

"The battle between Kiryu Camilla and Gym Trainer Fortuna may now begin," the scratchy voice of Lockhart came out of hidden loudspeakers. Kiryu's opponent gave a foppish flip of the hair and revealed a tan Burst Heart.

Both Burst Warriors activated their stones and disappeared in flashes of light. Kiryu, in her Liepard form, found herself facing another feline opponent: a Persian Burst. Kiryu briefly questioned the coincidence while the Classy Cat Pokémon lazily waited for the challenger to make her move. Kiryu shook her head and refocused on the battle. If she wanted to save her strength for Lockhart, the Dark type would have to end things quickly. Kiryu crouched and leapt towards her opponent, ready to show just what this Sakhaloh native was made of.

* * *

Takumi entered his own battling chamber and surveyed the area. When making the reservation for a challenge, he had been given a tour of the facility. He was given access to the skybox overlooking the gym and knew that Lockhart was able to watch both him and Kiryu through the windows above. Lockhart had allowed Takumi to watch some of the "strongest Burst Warriors in Winterspring" battle it out from above to convince him of the facility's skill. Takumi had watched the matches with disgust. "Weak," was all he had told the Gym Leader.

From the other side of the arena came a muscular man, a few years older than Takumi. He shot the Sinnoh native a cocky grin. "So, you're the Takumi guy that's the talk of town, eh? Well the famous Takumi is about to meet his match at the hands of the Great Destino!" the Gym trainer Bursted with his Flareon and took the field, but Takumi merely yawned. He had eschewed any hope that this sorry excuse for a Gym would offer him any challenge whatsoever.

"Meet my match against a Burst like that?" the teacher Bursted with Cotton and studied his opponent whilst Lockhart called for the battle to begin. "This should be easy."

"Say what?!" the Fire type bristled with anger. "I'll stomp you flat, and there's nothing your little rodent can do about it!" Destino pawed the ground and took off towards Takumi with Flame Charge. Takumi watched calmly as fire engulfed the ever-approaching Flareon Burst in his path.

As soon as Destino was in range, Takumi spun in place and whipped his headscarf, instantly surrounded by water, into the Burst Warrior's face. As usual, it paid to be prepared for any opponent. Especially when one's Pokémon is the offspring of a Floatzel. Destino flew off to the side and into the wall, completely doused by the Aqua Tail. Without missing a beat, Takumi took off towards his downed adversary and pummeled him with Rock Blast before he could even attempt to recover. When it was all said and done, Destino lay there, unconscious and Unbursted.

Takumi casually cracked his neck as he waited for the door to next room to open. "Please don't tell me that was your strongest Burst Warrior," he shouted upwards at the window. Eventually someone reluctantly pressed the button to allow him access to the Gym Leader's chamber. No challenge at all.

* * *

Once Kiryu sprang into action, the Persian across the room became alert and prepared her own attack. The Dark type Burst came down from above while the Normal type crouched low, and both struck with Fake Out at the same instant. The claws of both cats clattered against each other as their move did little damage, and the Persian darted out from under Kiryu's silhouette while she landed back on the concrete. That was also when Fortuna revealed her secret weapon.

As the Persian Burst stepped away, her tail intentionally bumped into Kiryu's side. The student took little notice at first as she went to steady herself on all fours. When she did, however, a sharp pain stabbed into her waist, between her back leg and torso. Kiryu whirled around to find the sharp pricks of a Sticky Barb digging into her body. She panicked and frantically attempted to rip the barb from her clothes, but the urchin-like item lived up to its name.

The opposing Burst Warrior laughed at Kiryu's expense. "Get poked by a Pin Missile or something, kid? You'll never get far if you can't handle a few little item tricks," the banter only fueled Kiryu's desire to kick her ass. If she couldn't remove the thing herself, Kiryu would just return to sender. She began running towards Fortuna once more, and this time the Persian Burst prepared to meet the attack head-on.

Kiryu came down on the Normal type with Night Slash. Her claws raked into Fortuna's back, but the slightly faster Persian countered with a Faint Attack to the gut. The Dark type flinched but continued the assault, crouching on all fours then leaping forward with Fury Swipes. Fortuna covered her face with her hands as the move landed, then tried to snap at Kiryu with a Bite attack. Sensing the incoming danger, Kiryu knocked the fangs aside with a closed fist before swerving around to the back of the feline and tackling her with Pursuit. As she rammed into her opponent, Kiryu felt the barb tear off herself and latch onto Fortuna's body.

The literal catfight continued as both Burst Warriors tumbled across the arena, blocking each other's claws from damaging the other. As Fortuna was rolled onto the floor, Kiryu used her as a springboard to end the grapple. For good measure, the Cruel Pokémon's tail stabbed into the downed Persian with Assurance. Kiryu landed nimbly on two feet while her opponent briefly struggled to sit upright.

Kiryu was firmly in charge of the battle, the former Alley Cat noted with satisfaction. She was obviously more skilled at melee combat than the Persian Burst, and she had managed to use the Gym trainer's Sticky Barb against her. Now the accursed object was stuck to Fortuna, she thought. As long as she kept her distance- Gah! What the hell just stabbed her?!

While Kiryu was catching her breath, the gem on the Classy Cat's forehead glowed an ominous black. Kiryu hadn't even noticed Fortuna use Switcheroo until the Sticky Barb was back on her personage, digging into her skin. "For the love of-" Kiryu swore and raced towards her opponent once more, but Fortuna had learned her lesson. She turned tail and fled from Kiryu, leaving her behind with superior speed. Every time Kiryu moved, the barb stabbed her once again, like a clockwork agony. She had to stop chasing the Persian Burst to end the constant pain.

"Tired?" Fortuna managed to taunt, though she was also breathing heavily from the challenge so far. Kiryu didn't respond, remembering to save her strength for the actual Gym Leader. If she even managed to beat this stupid cat, that is.

The Normal type made good use of the reprieve. A devious smile appeared on Fortuna's face as she used a Nasty Plot to boost her next attack. The gem on her head glowed a marble white this time, and Kiryu immediately recognized the Power Gem. A shot of energy blasted out of the Persian Burst's head, directly at the weakened Liepard Burst. Kiryu scrambled to dodge the attack but barely managed, causing it to explode on the ground where she once stood.

The teen had to think fast. Fortuna was already charging another shot, and Kiryu was running out of options. Her rival was smart enough to stay away from close-quarters combat, and Kiryu couldn't catch up to her without tiring herself out. If she wanted to be rid of the Power Gem and Sticky Barb, Kiryu would have to force Fortuna into melee some other way. She swiftly put together a plan.

"Hey," she shouted at the Classy Cat Pokémon. "What kind of Gym is this, having their trainers use cheap tactics like this stupid item?" the callout gave Kiryu enough time to dodge a second Power Gem.

"I already told you, it's all legal!" Fortuna yelled back, but Kiryu shook her head disappointedly, mimicking Takumi.

"Sounds to me like you just can't handle fighting without a cheap advantage. That's pathetic. Weak!" the familiar words actually served a greater purpose than appealing to Fortuna's ego. Unbeknownst to the Burst Warrior, a wave of malicious energy had already crossed the field and messed with the Persian's head. She found herself unable to charge a third Power Gem thanks to Kiryu's own trick up her sleeve: Torment.

"Wha?" Fortuna said to herself, realizing what had happened. Whatever, it didn't matter, right? All the feline had to do was use Nasty Plot to make her next attack even stronger than before, then-

"Come on, fight me like a real Burst Warrior!" Kiryu held up a single claw in a "bring it on" motion. "What are you, some kind of pussy?!" the Taunt move succeeded, and Fortuna was now seeing red.

"You dirty little-" the Gym trainer cut herself off as she rocketed towards Kiryu, having no other choice but to attack. It was exactly what the sixteen-year-old wanted.

The Persian Burst met Kiryu in the center of the battlefield and reared back to strike. The clever Liepard Burst ducked and headbutted Fortuna right under the chin. Kiryu's opponent tipped backwards, stunned, before being Night Slashed by the Dark type. Fortuna gasped in pain, and Kiryu finished the job by taking the Sticky Barb, now attached to her own tail, and slapping it onto the Normal type's side, causing her to fall directly onto the item. Fortuna groaned in pain and Unbursted, handing victory to the challenger.

"Heh," Kiryu said softly, taking a breath, then perking up in victory. Without a spiked ball digging into her flesh, she felt a lot more refreshed. "Ha! And don't you ever try playing dirty with a Dark type ever again!" the teen crossed her arms and turned away from her opponent as Lockhart announced her victory. The door at the back of the room opened, beckoning Kiryu deeper into the facility. High on victory, she gladly obliged.

* * *

Lockhart and Takumi were already waiting for Kiryu as she entered the final challenge hall. The back room of the building was more furnished than the rest of the facility, holding bleachers that were currently devoid of spectators. The arena was circular rather than rectangular, and the walls stretched upwards toward a glass ceiling.

Lockhart seemed to be purposely ignoring Takumi before the other Burst Warrior approached, and Kiryu could tell that Takumi was barely bothering to hide a smug smirk for some unknown reason. Lockhart left Takumi at the bleachers and met Kiryu, corporate smile returning to her expression.

"Congratulations, Miss Camilla!" she beamed at Kiryu. "Making it this far means that you've already surpassed many of the strongest Burst Warriors in Winterspring!"

"Thanks," Kiryu offered faintly. She had managed to push her nervousness aside to pull through in her last battle, but now it came bubbling back up with a vengeance. If the student had trouble taking down a preliminary trainer, how could she find the strength to get through the real challenge?

Takumi joined the other two, and Kiryu was unsurprised to see him completely unscathed. "Have much difficulty, Miss Camilla?" he asked without so much as an accolade.

"Er, nah, of course not," Kiryu, still in her Liepard Burst, discreetly rubbed the spot where a pointed barb had stabbed into her skin. The teen then realized that neither of the Burst Warriors in front of her had any signs of battle on them. Why hadn't the two of them battled, yet? "What, was Lockhart so easy that you took her out already?"

Realizing that Kiryu was talking about her, Lockhart huffed snidely at the notion of being defeated. Takumi, on the other hand, took Kiryu's question seriously and shook his head, as if knocking out Lockhart in a minute was a real possibility. Which, well…

"Unfortunately, Miss Lockhart has prevented me from challenging her until after you arrived," his head turned towards the Gym Leader. "Care to explain?"

"Yes, well," Lockhart spoke professionally once more, "as you may know, some League challenges are known for putting a unique twist on the battling format. At the Winterspring Pokémon Gym, we make sure to provide each Burst Warrior with a unique challenge to test their skills and provide a memorable experience. Today, we thought, since you both signed up to compete at the same time…" Lockhart paused and waved up at the skybox. Kiryu felt her stomach turn, knowing where this was going. A fourth Burst Warrior came down from the windowed area and joined the others whilst Lockhart smirked. "We decided to make this challenge a Double Battle!"

"What?!" Kiryu and Takumi shouted in alarm simultaneously. Evidently, Takumi hadn't been aware of this twist, either. He gave Lockhart the old death stare, "Surely, you can't be serious."

"What's the problem?" Lockhart asked, but showed little concern for her challengers' reaction, most likely after having to put up with so much griping in the last twenty minutes. "If you want to challenge this Gym, you have to follow the instructions of the Gym Leader. That's League policy, and therefore it is our policy."

Master and apprentice gave each other dubious looks. Kiryu hadn't seen him glare at her with such distaste since they had begun the private training. Not that the look she gave Takumi was much nicer. As strong as the prodigy Burst Warrior was, Kiryu did not feel enthusiastic about working alongside him. Even against the Burst Beats, the two had done their own thing without interference. Now they'd be fighting in way too close a proximity for Kiryu's liking.

Lockhart didn't seem to catch onto the tension between the two; she stood still, hands clasped together with an excited expression once more. "Well then, go ahead and choose your Pokémon and let's get to battling!" she and her coworker left to take their positions on the other side of the field.

"So, partners?" Kiryu asked shakily, hoping for an olive branch from Takumi. Her teacher gave a mournful sigh, as if the battle was already lost.

"Just follow my orders and stay out of my way. This shouldn't take long," he brushed past Kiryu to the starting position, no doubt on the verge of disparaging his "weak" partner outright. The girl's old hatred for her superior's personality came back in full force. Kiryu glared at his back and promised to take him out alongside Lockhart if she had the chance.

All four Burst Warriors had taken their spots along the battlefield. Kiryu remained Bursted with Liepard; Unbursting and re-Bursting would just expend even more of her energy. Of course, it wasn't a problem for the Great Takumi; he had already switched from Cotton to Ragune. The fact that Takumi was pulling out his ace Pokémon, most likely to compensate for his student, ticked Kiryu off even more.

Across the painted lines, Lockhart and her fellow Warrior took out yellow and blue Burst Hearts, respectively. Another flash of light, and an Ampharos and Azumarill Burst now stood across from Takumi and Kiryu.

"Are you prepared to face us, Takumi?" this time Lockhart was the one to taunt. She seemed determined to win, yet Takumi took no notice.

"Ladies first," was his answer. Kiryu wondered if he was purposely trying to mimic his student in the art of provoking people.

"The battle between challengers Takumi Genji and Kiryu Camilla versus Gym Leader Lockhart and company will now commence!" a voice echoed from the loudspeaker. "You may begin battling in three… two… one… Fight!"

All four Burst Warriors had the same idea: set-up for the long battle to come. Takumi clacked his blades against each other in a Swords Dance while Kiryu scrapped her nails across the ground with Hone Claws. On the other side of the room, Lockhart seemed to summon a shield made of marshmallow, attached to her arm. Further inspection revealed it to be a Cotton Guard barrier.

The only person unconcerned with boosting their fighting prowess was the Azumarill Burst. He decided, instead, to hop around like an idiot and chant at the sky. Neither challenger realized the purpose of his actions until the evening glow from the skylight became covered by several dark clouds. Indoor clouds. A drop of water fell directly into Takumi's eye, and before long everyone became drenched from the Rain Dance.

"Fantastic," Kiryu grumbled, finding solace that she never wore her good clothes to class.

"Stay vigilant," Takumi ordered sharply. Kiryu pretended not to hear him over the downpour. "They wouldn't have forced us into a Double Battle if they didn't already have a strategy in mind. Let them make the first move and respond accordingly," unfortunately, his student was not in the best mood to take orders.

"And let her set up another Cotton Guard? No way," Kiryu bent down to charge Lockhart before her defenses got even higher. "I'm taking her now!" Unbeknownst to the Liepard Burst, Lockhart was already enacting her plan.

The second Kiryu took off towards the Gym Leader, Takumi put two and two together. "Kiryu, wait!" his call went unheeded as Kiryu jumped to pounce on Lockhart with Night Slash. The Electric type's body suddenly glowed a brilliant yellow, but the real danger came from the sky. A deafening crack of Thunder reverberated across the facility as a bolt of lightning shot down directly into the Liepard Burst. Kiryu's vision went white from both light and pain, then faded to blackness just as quickly.

"Kiryu!" Takumi's gave a surprised cry, façade shattered upon seeing the brutal move hit with perfect accuracy. He dashed towards the fallen teen with reckless abandon, but was quickly brought back to reality upon Ragune's warning that Lockhart charging another Thunder. No more words were spoken by the Ampharos Burst. She had the calm, cool professionalism of a Gym Leader.

Kiryu gasped and opened her eyes, unsure if she had lost consciousness for one second or one hour. Miraculously, she and Liepard managed to stay Bursted, so she was still in the game. A part of her brain, buried by the frantic instinct of battle, thanked Takumi's tutoring for allowing her to maintain the link with her partner Pokémon. The gratitude didn't stop Kiryu from feeling like she had stuck a fork into a power generator, though. Lying on the ground, she turned her head to see Takumi sprinting towards her, shouting above the din of the indoor maelstrom.

"Thunder never misses-Got to stop it!" his tone remained collected but was tinged with an urgency that came with being on the losing end of a battle. Takumi proceeded to skid to the side, away from the downed Liepard Burst. Kiryu watched in awe as another Thunder came streaking down from the sky and curved its trajectory to hit the dodging Gallade Burst. Takumi grunted in pain and stumbled onto the ground, not looking much better than his counterpart lying on the floor.

If she didn't do something fast, the Dark type realized, this was going to be a very short battle. Her mind raced to find an escape to their seemingly cornered position. Takumi told her to stop Lockhart from attacking, but those Thunders would always hit their marks as long as it was raining. Heck, if Takumi hadn't thought to run away from Kiryu before getting blasted by the attack, the Electric move might've hit both of them-

Lightning struck the sixteen-year-old. Figuratively, not literally. Kiryu stood on four legs with a jolt, looked behind Lockhart and spotted the Azumarill Burst. The second Thunder had hit Takumi so hard because the Water type Burst had given his partner a Helping Hand. Hoping against hope that her crazy strategy would work, Kiryu forced herself to run around the arena and towards the Azumarill. Her movement was immediately picked up by Lockhart.

"Oh no you don't," the Gym Leader muttered to herself as she prepared a third Thunder. The time it took to power such a move gave Kiryu just the freedom she needed. She slunk behind an unwitting Azumarill Burst, who was too busy clapping his hands to take notice of her.

Kiryu pounced directly on top of the opposing Warrior and sent the beach ball-like Pokémon and herself tumbling. The Cruel Pokémon latched her arms around the pure Water type's stubby flippers and dug her claws into his side. The Azumarill Burst gasped in pain, and found himself unable to break free of Kiryu's grip. He desperately tried to knock the Liepard Burst off, tossing Kiryu about like a ragdoll. Her back legs went swinging through the air, but Kiryu's front claws remained firmly attached to her opponent.

Upon seeing the Azumarill Burst become intertwined with her target, Lockhart angrily forced herself to stop charging the Thunder. With no way to miss Kiryu, she'd guarantee transferring a Super Effective shock from the Liepard to the pure Water type. "Lose the dead weight so I can finish her off!" Lockhart impatiently yelled at the wrestling Burst Warriors. "Run her into the wall or something!"

"If you ask me, you're putting too much stock in a weak excuse for a Burst Warrior," Lockhart whirled around right as Takumi's fist/blade connected with her face. The Psychic type followed it up with Psycho Cut, but Lockhart was no pushover. Takumi's glowing sword only met a cotton shield, slicing away pieces of fluff from the Ampharos's arm. Lockhart's other hand flew towards Takumi's chest, crackling with Thunder Punch. Takumi spun out of the way, releasing his arm from the Cotton Guard. The distance between them allowed Lockhart to loose a much less powerful Thundershock towards Takumi, but the master Burst Warrior took off around the perimeter of the arena and out of range of the Electric type once more.

Kiryu, meanwhile, was struggling to avoid being pinned by her fellow Burst Warrior. As she became more and more exhausted from being flung around, the Water Type Burst began to gain the advantage in their struggle. Despite the small drain at the center of the battlefield, the constant downpour had created a pool of water several inches deep throughout the entire room. Kiryu's head was dunked under as the Azumarill Burst Warrior held her down on the floor with an elbow.

"Sorry kid, but winning won't be that easy," the Aqua Pokémon said grimly as he raised his other arm to pound Kiryu's face into the earth. The strangely macabre scene was interrupted by a certain Gallade Burst, who appeared behind the two and grabbed the Water type's raised fist. The Gym trainer shouted in pain as Takumi silently twisted the man's arm behind his back, then smoothly transitioned the armlock to a headlock.

"I trust you're faring well?" Takumi's voice had regained its normal intonation, now that the battle had gone over to their favor.

"Oh sure, it's going great," Kiryu pulled herself out from under the struggling Azumarill. "I've just been over here doing all the work while you get your beauty sleep."

Takumi made sure to smack his grappled opponent with a Night Slash of his own before responding. "You looked like you could've used some assistance. Always happy to oblige. Still, I must commend you on finding a way to stop our opponents from utilizing the rain-"

"Look out!" while Takumi and Kiryu had been busy catching up, Lockhart rejoined the fight and released a Thunder Wave towards an unknowing Takumi. Kiryu spotted the electrical pulse and pushed Takumi and the other Burst Warrior out of the way with a sudden burst of strength. The Thunder Wave zapped Kiryu instead, causing her to grimace and drop to her knees.

"Good enough," Lockhart growled, running towards the prone Burst Warrior to finish her off with Thunder Punch. For once, human bullet Takumi sat frozen in place, having just been saved from paralysis by Miss Camilla.

Of course, once Lockhart got close to the Dark type, Kiryu lifted her head to reveal an innocent grin. Her tail then kicked up a Sand Attack into the Gym Leader's eyes. The Ampharos Burst cried out and covered her face while Kiryu nimbly sprinted away, Liepard's Limber completely negating the status effect. "Big mistake, Lockhart; always know every ability of your opponent before rushing in to a fight."

While Kiryu left the blinded Lockhart and returned to her mentor, Takumi remained motionless on the floor. He seemed to be rendered dumbstruck not only by Kiryu's consideration in pushing him out of the Thunder Wave, but also by her ingenuity in avoiding paralysis. Geez, it wasn't _that_ surprising, the teen wanted to snark.

"You… saved me from that Thunder Wave," Takumi finally said to an impatient Kiryu.

"It was the most convenient solution. I can't win this alone if you're stuck paralyzed," she tapped her foot, hoping to get back to the battle before Lockhart recovered. Takumi was finally able to break out of his stupor when the downpour abruptly petered out, allowing the setting sun to shine through the ceiling once more. "C'mon, let's get back to business," the Liepard Burst raked her claws across the Azumarill Burst, still caught in Takumi's iron grip, with Fury Swipes.

Lockhart wiped the dirt out of her eyes, only to witness the two challengers ganging up on her fellow Gym Trainer. She could only watch with increasing rage as the Gallade and Liepard Burst toyed with the Burst Warrior, hitting him back and forth with Leaf Blade and Pursuit. These two ingrates had been shown complete disrespect for her Gym, beaten her employees with little trouble, and now were about to become the first Burst Warriors in Winterspring to win the Gym challenge! As the resident Gym Leader and leader of the facility, Lockhart could not allow this to happen.

"Enough of this!" Lockhart shouted as she charged towards them. The bulb on the Light Pokémon's head glowed brightly in preparation for a new Electric attack. Thunder was too risky to use without the rain, so she settled for Discharge, instead. If her Water Type partner was going down, she could at least take the other two down with him.

Takumi stopped pummeling the Azumarill Burst and immediately identified Lockhart's imminent move. "Kiryu," he said urgently, drawing her attention to the incoming Gym Leader, "can you take another hit from her?"

His pupil's voice was tinged with uncertainty. "I, uh, I don't know," Kiryu could still feel her muscles twitch from the Thunder. Even with a spiritual bond or whatever, she wasn't sure that Liepard could withstand another powerful move without Unbursting. In the single second it took for her to answer, Takumi already seemed to have worked out a strategy. How did he always do that so fast?!

"Well, try and take it without fainting," he ordered. "She's going to use Discharge. Let her get in close, then move in for the kill," the Ampharos Burst barreling towards Kiryu triggered her flight response. She desperately wanted to try and dodge the attack, despite Takumi's command.

"Takumi," she cried nervously, "I can't just stand and-"

"Kiryu, trust me, I have a plan," her teacher growled.

"Tak-"

"Trust!"

After what simultaneously felt like a million years and a split second, Lockhart ended her charge and slammed her feet into the ground, unleashing the Discharge as an area attack across the battlefield. The electrical sphere shot towards Takumi and Kiryu, blasting them with almost a thousand volts each. The barely conscious Azumarill Burst, reduced to rolling his head in dazed confusion, was blasted into the wall and knocked out immediately, while both challengers couldn't help but scream in pain as they were viciously zapped. By the time the Discharge ended, Kiryu was on her back, brain mercifully drifting into unconsciousness. So much for that, was her last rueful thought as she faded away…

However, just as Liepard began to retreat to her Burst Heart, a sudden wave of reinvigorating energy overcame Kiryu. Her head shot up as if someone dumped a bucket of ice water over her head. With an unexpected burst of energy, the former thief was able to jump back to her feet and greet an equally bewildered Lockhart.

"How are you still conscious?!" the Gym Leader hollered at Kiryu, stomping her feet in an incredulous tantrum. Kiryu was about to truthfully admit that she hadn't the slightest idea but was interrupted by a pompous clearing of the throat by a certain Gallade Burst.

Electrocuted to the point of being singed, but otherwise still standing, Takumi nonchalantly stood apart from the girls with his arms folded. "Perhaps it would've been a smarter decision, Miss Lockhart, if you didn't suggest a double battle against a Burst Warrior with Heal Pulse," he proceeded to shoot Kiryu a smile and a wink, which almost made the teen fall into unconsciousness for the third time that day.

"Heal Pulse…" Lockhart stared, open-mouthed, at the two, but otherwise didn't move. Of course, Takumi had planned to use the obscure move the moment he saw the Discharge coming. He'd turned the tables on his opponent once again, and this time Kiryu was glad that it directly benefitted her.

The Gallade Burst motioned towards the Gym Leader. "Shall we end this?" Kiryu put aside her contentions and nodded confidently.

"Of course," the Liepard Burst leapt forward and Slashed Lockhart across the torso. Takumi wasn't far behind, dodging a weak Signal Beam from the Electric type and landing his own Psycho Cut. Lockhart desperately tried to push the two away with Tackle but was easily knocked back by a punch and a kick from Takumi and Kiryu, respectively. The Dark type Burst charged forward for a final Night Slash, and Takumi, surprisingly, didn't join her. Instead, the Blade Pokémon stepped backwards and clacked his blades together, giving his pupil a final Helping Hand to finish the job.

The critical move smacked a stunned Lockhart across the face and sent the Gym Leader reeling across the battlefield. Lockhart smacked into the floor and Unbursted, sending the Ampharos back into its Burst Heart and leaving a normal human woman lying on the ground, defeated.

Kiryu stood there, frozen, breathing heavily from the sheer amount of exertion she'd just spent in the past hour. She'd done it. She'd just defeated the strongest Burst Warrior in the facility. No running away, no dirty tricks, just Kiryu and Takumi outmatching a _Gym Leader_ on their first try.

Despite her exhaustion, Kiryu's face broke into a tired grin as she turned to look back at her fellow victor. Takumi gave her a brief nod in acknowledgement before dropping to a knee and Unbursting. With no Heal Pulse to stabilize him, the poor guy was struggling against the accumulated power of Lockhart's many attacks. Kiryu helped Mr. Genji get back on his feet, just in time for the announcers above them to comprehend the fact that their boss had lost.

"Uh… L-Lockhart is unable to battle, making challengers Takumi Genji and Kiryu Camilla the winners of the Winterspring Gym Challenge!" the loudspeaker roared as an attendant assisted the downed Gym Leader so that she could stand and concede defeat.

Kiryu let go of Takumi's arm and Unbursted, mentally thanking Liepard for an doing an incredible job. "We did it," she allowed her former rival to see her happy expression.

"Not a clean a win as I would've liked, but a win nonetheless," Takumi nodded tiredly.

"Yeah, and you healed me back there. You let me finish the battle with you," Kiryu was fairly certain that, even in a weakened state, Takumi could've come out on top against Lockhart without his partner's help. In response, Takumi gave a complacent shrug.

"You did the same or me. An eye for an eye. Consider ourselves even."

"And then you let me get the final hit. Why-" Kiryu stopped speaking as Lockhart hobbled towards them. Her corporate smile long gone, the defeated Leader could only give them an exhausted sigh, bowing in acknowledgement of defeat. Kiryu liked her a lot better that way.

"Loathe as I am to admit it, you've bested me. You can officially call yourselves champions of the Winterspring Pokémon Gym."

Kiryu pumped a fist triumphantly, raising a hand to be high-fived by Takumi. When the stoic professor didn't oblige, Kiryu settled on roughly slapping his shoulder instead. She turned back towards Lockhart but was surprised to see two small metal pins in the woman's outstretched hand.

"…Gym Badges," Lockhart finally explained after a silence, barely restraining herself from rolling her eyes at Kiryu's ignorance, "to commemorate your victory here. They're a sign of great prestige in other regions, and a key to entering the Pokémon League. The Infinity Badge is yours."

"Oh, nice," Kiryu accepted the badge, a circular design with an infinity symbol in the center, and pinned it to her sweatshirt. Takumi took his without a word and placed it in his pocket.

"Who knows?" Lockhart gave a small smirk, seeming to be legitimately proud of the badge's symbolism, "one day, you might be able to get seven more badges, then enter a Sakhaloh Pokémon League," Kiryu nodded eagerly, still caught up in the excitement of victory. Sensing an opportunity to advertise, Lockhart added, "Now, if you could please tell your friends about our facility, that would be greatly appreciated-"

"C'mon, let's get the hell out of here," Kiryu ignored the Gym Leader as she headed for the door. "I'm literally only running on adrenaline, here, and I don't want to pass out on the street."

"Speak for yourself," the man quipped, but followed Kiryu nevertheless. "I suppose this place couldn't keep its promise, after all. Strongest Burst Warriors in Sakhaloh?" he shook his head, speaking just loud enough for Lockhart to hear.

The two exited through the automatic door, leaving the Gym Leader in the empty facility. She found herself alone, facing a flooded arena, an unconscious Burst Warrior, and a bigger clean-up job than she could've imagined in front of her. She desperately needed a drink.

"Clean this place up," she barked at the silent figures watching from the skybox, "I don't get paid enough for this job."

* * *

Kiryu and Takumi left the western dockyards, travelling to the center of Winterspring before going their separate ways for the evening. The nighttime glow of the city illuminated their path forward, still populated with many people touring the new shopping district or walking home from their job, despite the chill in the air.

The young punk at Takumi's side was worn out, dead tired, in fact, but couldn't think of a time she felt more accomplished than at that very moment. At first, she wasn't exactly sure why she felt so much pride in winning at some Gym she didn't know about until today. Eventually, she had to admit to herself that her pride was owed to her mentor.

"Hey, Takumi," Kiryu spoke up hesitantly, "I guess I should thank you for… Encouraging me to beat that Gym Leader."

"Think nothing of it, seriously," Takumi responded dryly, "Miss Lockhart and her minions were weak, just as I expected. There was no doubt that you would come out on top."

"Well, no," Kiryu brushed away her companion's brusqueness, but still wasn't quite sure what she wanted to say. She recalled Takumi's own special method of encouragement before she took the Gym challenge. "I mean, when we first went in the Gym, you really put things into perspective. You said that this was the final test, or, like, the time to really prove myself. And then… You really believed that I could win against Lockhart. You were confident in me. Without that, I probably would've gotten cold feet about the entire ordeal."

Takumi shot his pupil his trademark condescending look. "Well of course I had confidence in you; I'm the one who trained you. I had faith that my father's training methods would prevail, and I was proven right."

So, Takumi only had confidence in himself. Typical. "I guess so," Kiryu responded somewhat glumly, not sure she had truly gotten her feelings across. From his pep talk beforehand to letting her dish out the final blow, Kiryu truly did appreciate Takumi's faith in her. She turned a fond eye down at her Gym Badge. It was purely ceremonial, but it still felt like an achievement.

The two walked on in silence for a moment, but it was broken once more by none other than Takumi, himself. "…All that said," he began, "the fact that you came through for me hasn't been lost," Kiryu's eyes shot towards her professor expectantly. He took a deep breath, and clarified:

"You won't hear me say this often, Kiryu, but I was worried. Worried that I couldn't live up to my father's teachings, I didn't know if I was even capable of passing them onto a new generation of students. I tried to believe that everyone else was the problem, but when you agreed to private tutoring, I couldn't make excuses anymore. It was just you and me training, and the task of passing on my father's lessons fell squarely on my shoulders.

"But you managed to pull through," Takumi continued, shooting the teen a soft, almost grateful, glance. "After I told you that you were destined to fail, you turned yourself around. You took my father's knowledge to heart and formed a bond with your Pokémon. You set aside our differences to learn how to properly use your gift of Bursting. Once you did that, I had no choice but to put some level of trust in you."

Kiryu wasn't quite sure what to say. Takumi's monologue was actually complimentary of her. She thought, at least. Indeed, Kiryu knew she had changed in the past few months. An eternity ago, when she led the Alley Cats, Kiryu would always feel the same sense of pride that she did now, but it was for her fellow gang members. Defeating Lockhart, though, allowed Kiryu to take pride in herself. She succeeded based on her own abilities, not the mob mentality of some group. Maybe that was why she felt more accomplished than ever before.

While Kiryu considered this, Takumi wasn't quite finished speaking. "This evening, I put everything on the table. My father's lessons came through for us, and your spiritual bond with your Pokémon shined, Miss Camilla. The fact that you helped me do my father justice…" the 22-year-old seemed to struggle to say the next line, "…I greatly appreciate it, Kiryu."

"Sounds to me like you're trying to say, 'thank you,'" the teen fell back to her tried and true method of communication: one-liners. She sidled up to a reluctant Takumi and nudged his side with an elbow. "Come on, man, it isn't that hard to say! Let the gratitude flow!" Takumi scoffed and brushed Kiryu aside. The significance of the moment wasn't lost on the dark-haired girl, however.

"Well, regardless," Kiryu laughed as she followed Takumi down the moonlit street, "I'm always happy to help you feel better about yourself. Given the way Clove riffs on you, no wonder you're desperate for someone to stroke your ego," the Sinnoh-native shuddered at the mere mention of his counterpart.

"Please, never bring up your encounter with Clove ever again."

"Anyways, I've been thinking," Kiryu offered, "since we're 'setting aside our differences,' why not make it official? How about we celebrate an end to your first, relatively successful semester here in Winterspring?"

"…" the antisocial teacher eyed his student suspiciously, prepared for yet another joke at his expense.

"Aw, come on," the teen goaded, "I know you've got nothing better to do. Suki can come along, too! And I'm sure we can find some joint that'll let Ragune join in on the fun, eh?"

That evening, Kiryu could go home knowing that she had overcome her sketchy past, and that she was a better Burst Warrior for it. The past few months had completely turned Kiryu's world upside down. She endured day after day of intense training, learned how to bond with her Pokémon, and helped a former nemesis vindicate his old man. But if all that was what it took to succeed in Sakhaloh's ever-changing world, then Kiryu reckoned that it was worth it in the end.

* * *

Across the road from the gym stood a half-constructed, Infinicorp-sponsored building. Its intended purpose was an office space, liable to fill a couple hundred more jobs for the city, but it was currently being used as a hiding spot for one silhouetted figure. He watched the two opposite personalities leave the Gym and head home, making sure that his boss had tracked the right person. Soon, very soon, a plan over 20 years in the making was about to come to fruition, and the key to its success was about to play into the palm of his hand.

Let the real battle begin.

* * *

 **In the source material, Lockhart was an interesting side character who made multiple appearances throughout the early roleplay. There was some subplot about her "secret" facility that would only invite the greatest Burst Warriors in the world to challenge it. Takumi proceeded to defeat every Burst Warrior in the building, and everyone else kind of ignored it. Still, I liked the idea enough to make add it into the rewrite.**

 **Now, the R** **éBURST RP was not the first roleplay on PokePlayers, nor was it the most popular. That distinction went to _A Journey Through Unova._ Created on August 8th, 2012, two days after the forum's initial creation, _Journey through Unova_ is the longest PokePlayer RP, with over 300 pages of content. Keep in mind that this would've been right before the release of Black and White 2, so hype for Gen 5 was still very real at the time. **

**_Unova_ was a much more standard Pok** **émon Journey story that served as an introduction RP for new forum members. Well, "standard," until some members introduced giant robots, deadly plane crashes and the destruction of multiple in-game cities. But that's a story for another day. MewMewExorcist, Bladewielder05 and Okami Amaterasu Omikami all participated in the roleplay, but the distinction of "Most Popular Original Character" has to be given to Juan Burgans, a Paul-esqse Trainer with an emotionless persona and bad attitude (somewhat similar to Takumi, in that regard), created by Lunarium Prince.**

 **I'll be discussing more non-** ** **R** **éBURST-related roleplays in the future, for those who are interested. I want this fanfiction to be a celebration, not only of a single RP, but of the entirety of the PokePlayers forum. I'm glad that people have been enjoying the story so far, and I'd love to hear further feedback from members and non-members alike. Next time we'll take a dive and truly see if my writing chops can hold up. Thank you for reading!****


	12. You Better You Bet

Kiryu hastily ran a brush through the knotted locks in her hair before donning a black jacket over her normal indigo shirt and dark pants. It could hardly be considered "dressing up," but she hadn't exactly paid much attention to her outfit for the past couple months, so it was a good start. With the semester finally behind her, she might as well get back into the habit of everyday life. Yesterday she had walked out of the Academy building with no more schoolwork, no more Burst practice (mandatory, at least), and no more stress for the rest of a well-deserved holiday break.

The young woman grabbed her wallet, phone and keys before racing down the steps to leave. However, Kiryu's hand barely touched the door knob when she was inevitably spotted by the warden of her house arrest.

"Where are you running off to now?" the darkness of Lin's outline fell over the teenager like a Wobbuffet's Shadow Tag. Kiryu swore under her breath before turning to face her older sister.

"Just… Going out," Kiryu answered with mock courtesy. "Don't wait up," she gave a dainty wave and went to swing the door open to freedom, but was stopped by a sharp clearing of the throat. Lin wasn't having any of it.

"I don't think so," her eyebrows arched downward into a glare. "Today's Thursday: not one of your tutoring evenings. You're supposed to stay inside the house."

"I'm leaving _because_ of the damn tutor," Kiryu explained with a roll of the eyes, tired of Lin's constant interference. "I'm supposed to meet my advisors for a banquet or something. Plus, my punishment's over now. Tamura said that I only had to be tutored until the end of the semester, so we're in the clear!"

Lin "tsked" at her sister's claim. "You think you've gotten off scot free? You were put in police custody, Kiryu! That kind of thing stays on your permanent record forever. You need to learn that!" the bickering between the two had caught the attention of the third Camilla in the household.

"Who are you going out with, again?" Chao walked into the kitchen and flanked Kiryu from the other side. The younger sister gave an exasperated sigh. She hated it when they double-teamed her like this.

"Takumi Genji, my private instructor, and Suki Harmoni, our supervisor," she said.

"The same guy who's been picking fights with Burst Warriors on the streets," the eldest sibling cut in, sending Kiryu a death stare, which was returned in equal measure. "Associating with untrustworthy people once again!"

Kiryu scoffed and shook her head at Lin's logical acrobatics. "Well," she retorted, "do you like Takumi or not? A month ago, you were all for his punishment, and now he's untrustworthy?" Of course, Kiryu knew, Lin was just attacking her sister so that she could feel in charge. Lin would make any stupid comment to stay vindicated.

"Hmph," Lin huffed, then pointed towards the stairs. "Go back to your room, Kiryu."

"What?!" the teen held her arms out pleadingly, "but my punishment is over!"

"Not my punishment, it isn't," Lin shot back, but Kiryu stomped her foot in anger and remained in place. Lin would _not_ order her around just so she could feel better about herself. Kiryu refused to let it happen.

Seeing the two sisters at a standoff once again, it was Chao, surprisingly, who gave a more neutral response. "Lin," he stepped between the two, "you can't hold what happened over Kiryu's head like this. Can't we just move on?"

"Oh, back off, Chao!" Lin growled at her brother, then returned to Kiryu. "Go back up those steps _now_ , before I make you," she revealed her own Burst Heart, a midnight black stone with a round, white center. The action forced non-Burst Warrior Chao to take a cautionary step backwards, but Kiryu barely flinched.

"Give me a break," the teen waved at Lin dismissively, "I'm not a kid anymore, you can't scare me with a threat like that," though Kiryu may have been able to hold her own against Lin, should she go completely off the rails, the damage it'd cause wouldn't be worth it. Instead, Kiryu roughly pushed past Lin with her shoulder and headed back upstairs, somewhat content in herself for not reacting in fear. Lin wouldn't get to revel in that, at least. The younger sister listened to her sibling storm out of the kitchen with satisfaction.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Kiryu sat cross-legged on the bed and sullenly paged through _Of Murkrows and Men._ Her room hadn't changed in the slightest: same purple walls, same posters, same dusty desk and same electronic piano. In her limited free time, the only redecorating Kiryu had managed to do was tape a few pictures to her dresser. Among the vintage shots of the teen with Ivy, Tula and Ayame were a couple new photos of Kiryu standing alongside Suki. The two had hung out together before the semester officially ended, and the secretary had insisted that Kiryu take a copy once the photographs were printed.

The girl finished looking at the required reading and threw the book into one of two piles on her bed. Whenever a semester was over, Kiryu typically separated her textbooks into two different categories: ones to save and ones to burn. Usually the teen's barely-written-in notebook was the only thing to survive, while the rest of the books she'd never read again went straight to the Camilla's antique furnace. It made for good kindling during the winter. She'd save _Murkrows and Men,_ though. It was interesting enough to earn a spot on her shelf.

Kiryu's eyes wandered to the window, waiting for the sun to set. She didn't mind inconveniencing Takumi with her schedule- she had something special planned for him, anyways- but Kiryu didn't want to disappoint her other friend by arriving late to the get-together. Too bad Lin had to be a control freak, or else Kiryu would've been there already.

The teen's train of thought was interrupted by a soft thumping on her door. Given her siblings' tendency to barge into her room without warning, Kiryu could only assume that the knocks came from the house's fourth occupant, Audino. The poor thing had had her hands full in the past few months, dealing with Kiryu's near-daily injuries, yet she was always quick to give Kiryu a warm smile and provide judgement-free medical care. Typical, for a former Pokémon of her mother's, having been given to Lin as a gift.

Kiryu opened the door and greeted Audino, only to find that the Hearing Pokémon's hands were already full with what seemed to be a pile of rags and towels. Before Kiryu could say anything, Audino cheerfully dropped the stack into her arms. A couple towels fell to the ground, and the student noticed that each rag was tied to another one, creating a makeshift rope. On the top of the pile was a sticky note with the handwriting of Kiryu's half-brother:

 _To get where you need to go. I'll keep her distracted. -Chao_

Surprised, but nonetheless impressed, Kiryu had to chuckle at the attempt to help her escape. "Tell Chao that I thanked him for the help, but that it isn't necessary," she told Audino amusedly. "After all, I am a Burst Warrior. It isn't too hard to climb out the window," of course her normal sibling didn't account for his sister's Bursting ability. Even so, Kiryu couldn't believe that Chao was taking her side for once. Maybe her half-brother could look out for her, after all.

Audino eagerly took back the makeshift rope and left to return it to Chao. He should be able to understand, then.

Kiryu got her things back together and listened for movement downstairs. When she heard her siblings move away from the back windows, the student made her move. Kiryu Bursted with Espeon and leapt out the window, using her psychic abilities to cushion the fall. She landed on all fours and Unbursted, then hopped the fence and effortlessly snuck out. Lin was none the wiser.

* * *

"You're late," came Takumi's predictable greeting upon meeting Kiryu at the edge of the suburbs. With no more time to waste, the two immediately fell into step, hurrying to reach the meeting area in time.

"No kidding," Kiryu replied, "I was held up by my stubborn excuse for a sister. Trying to reason with her is like talking to a brick wall."

"Sounds like someone I know," Takumi smirked slightly as they walked towards the city proper.

"Right back at you," Kiryu shot back without missing a beat.

"She's also a Burst Warrior?" Takumi had never met Lin in person.

"Yeah, and not a half bad one, mind you," Kiryu admitted. She may have inherited her mother's outlook on life, but Lin got the genes for battling. "Lin was always the studious, mature sister- you probably would've liked her- and got to go off to Nursing School. Then, when she had to support the family, she dropped out and got a temp job. 'Been coming down on me with an iron fist ever since."

Takumi gave an indifferent frown and shrugged. "Sounds like an understandable reaction, given the circumstances."

"Yeah, Ivy said the same thing. The thing is, neither of you have to live with it."

"I suppose," Takumi reasoned, glancing at the cloudy sky. "I've never had to experience such sibling rivalry, though my acquaintances in Sinnoh are often just as dependent. And just as irritating," so Takumi was an only child. Somehow, that didn't surprise Kiryu.

The two trudged through the snow, which, despite the city's man-made heat, still piled up along the sidewalk. Fortunately, the clouds along the skyline appeared to be dispersing, making for a clear, dusky evening. The plan was to meet Suki near the center of Winterspring, then walk together to whatever eatery Takumi had chosen. Of course, that was only the stated plan. Takumi's pupil had a devious surprise of her own.

As they neared the meeting spot, Kiryu threw another question toward her companion. "So, where'd you make the reservations for? Someplace where battles are served hot with every meal?"

"No, wrong region," Takumi shook his head. "I booked an opening at a native Sakhaloh restaurant for three," as he continued to talk, Kiryu edged away from her companion and towards an adjacent backstreet, a sly glint in her eye. Her hand fell into her pocket and around Liepard's Burst Heart.

Takumi continued, "I must say, setting this up wasn't a bad idea, Kiryu. Miss Harmoni provided her house for us to practice, so it's only fitting that we thank her."

"Yeah, about that," Kiryu smirked as her teacher raised an expectant eyebrow at her.

"Yes?" he prompted.

"...Consider this revenge for the unannounced Gym Battle," Kiryu quickly Bursted with Liepard, blinding Takumi with the sudden flash of light. She dove off between the two buildings, leaving the stunned teacher on the sidewalk. Without a second thought, the vigilante reached for Winter's Burst Heart, ready to catch the teen and question just what in the world she thought she was doing.

"Heeey, Takumi!"

The professor whipped his head back towards the road, only to find a cheerful Suki waving in his direction. He froze, caught off-guard and unable to chase Kiryu without abandoning the secretary. "You insolent delinquent," Takumi cursed his student as the twenty-year-old approached.

Suki had changed from her mandated receptionist garb to a more casual, cream-colored blouse, dark olive pants and a sepia jacket to protect against the wintry cold. A small purse was also slung over her shoulder. The fashionable outfit was complimented by Suki's dark brown ponytail and a light blush from the chill. Takumi might've even acknowledged how nice she looked, were he not vehemently searching for a certain Burst Warrior to strangle.

"Hello, I hope I'm not too late," Suki said quietly upon reaching Takumi. "It was really nice of you to set all of this up," the woman's subtle lipstick and mascara showed that she'd taken tthe extra time to make herself up for the occasion.

"What?" the male Burst Warrior snapped before fully processing Suki's comment. "Oh, yes, right. Miss Harmoni, if you could wait just one mo-"

"Kiryu mentioned how you wanted to thank me, but I had no idea you had planned all of this personally!" Takumi's coworker blurted out, still in her hesitant tone. She gave her escort a soft smile. "I really appreciate it."

Takumi's eyes narrowed as he pieced together Kiryu's plot. "Wait, I- No… This was all Miss Camilla's…" he stumbled on his words until finally giving a defeated sigh. He'd been thoroughly had by Kiryu. The former thief was still a master of the alleyways, so there was no point in trying to catch her.

"…Whatever, let's just go. C'mon," the professor slumped his shoulders and roughly moved past Suki and toward the restaurant. The timid secretary was quick to follow.

From her hiding spot in the shadows, Kiryu chuckled to herself. Finally, she'd gotten revenge on Takumi for all the nonsense he'd given her. Even if that revenge came in the form of an awkward dinner conversation with Suki, it still brought the teen some form of satisfaction. Her only regret was subjecting her newfound friend to a night out with the monotone Sinnohan, but civilian casualties were sometimes necessary.

Once the two adults were out of sight, Kiryu Unbursted and headed in the opposite direction. She had her own appointment to make. Eh, let the two struggle to socialize. Suki was always desperate for company, anyways. Surely, she'd have a good time no matter who she was with.

* * *

Suki was not having a good time. She sat across from Takumi inside _Faiyā's Flame,_ quite the traditional, classy restaurant. Their table ran across the main hall, where they ate alongside many other fellow diners. The conversations of other patrons mingled with the soft Sakhaloh folk music, occasionally interrupted by the sizzling of flames from the open-window kitchen.

Sure, _Faiyā's Flame_ was a fancy restaurant, and the food was delicious, but the man sitting across from Suki wasn't exactly a paragon of charisma. Despite his refined way of speaking, Suki was first clued in that Takumi was not a perfect gentleman when he pulled out a chair, waited until Suki was about to sit down, then took it for himself. The next clue came when they were about three quarters of the way through their meal, and Takumi hadn't said a single word to her. The secretary glumly poked at her salad while Takumi wolfed down the restaurant's tempura, seemingly oblivious to the mood of his guest.

On his part, Takumi hadn't realized the awkwardness of the situation until hearing a telltale wistful sigh from Suki. Takumi often made the same uninterested noise, so it was easy to notice. Was there some kind of problem? "Something the matter?" he looked up from his meal and offered towards Suki.

"Hm? No, nothing," the fair-skinned girl blushed and assured Takumi quietly. A few seconds later, however, Suki's weak façade broke, and she went back to gazing forlornly around the restaurant. All of this was picked up by a fraught Takumi.

Truth be told, he had planned on Kiryu to save the evening, given that she rarely shuts up. Takumi never would've agreed to a night out if he hadn't expected a more social person to carry the conversation. It occurred to him that his pupil had known all of this, and played Takumi like a damn fiddle, but the professor preferred not to dwell on that.

When Suki's phone came out, the Sinnohan knew he was in trouble. He vaguely recalled Clove telling him that when a female took out her phone, things were going badly. Why, Takumi chastised himself, didn't he listen to Clove's constant courting anecdotes? Wait, why was he even taking advice from that chauvinist in the first place?! Whatever, the point was that if Takumi wanted to be seen as a good host, he needed to think of something to say, and fast.

"…Your grandfather?"

"Huh?" Suki looked up confusedly, leaving an awkward silence until Takumi noticed that it was his turn to speak.

"Er, Sugawara Harmoni, your grandfather," he clarified. Then realized that he had no idea where he was going with this line of inquiry. "You know, the famous Burst Warrior… It must've been an honor to know him," the two stared at each other for another second until Suki finally gave an uncomfortable smile.

"…Yeah, I guess. You, uh, really like talking about him, don't you?" the topic seemed to come up every time the two spoke to each other. In all honesty, Suki was kind of sick of hearing about him.

"I suppose you could say that," Takumi nodded easily, as if every average Joe had a strange obsession with Suki's dead grandfather. "You truly don't remember anything about him?"

"Nope," Suki said with a small amount of sarcasm. "Like I've said, he died the year I was born. Sorry," the Burst Warrior's shoulders slumped slightly.

"I see," Takumi fell into complete monotone as he rested his elbows on the table, leaning his head on his hand. Almost like a pouting toddler, Suki thought. It reminded her of her own younger siblings.

Despite herself, the pushover of a woman felt bad that she couldn't speak any further on the subject. She tried valiantly to break Takumi from his doldrums. "…Had any good battles, lately?"

"No," Takumi mumbled stoically, "everyone in this city is weak."

"Uh-huh…" the two fell silent once more, Takumi glaring down at an unfinished meal, Suki nervously stirring the remainder of her drink.

"…"

"…"

"…Heh, where is that waiter?"

* * *

The Alley Cat hideout had certainly seen better days. Kiryu hardly remembered the last time she had paid the spot a visit, but it couldn't have fallen into disrepair _that_ quickly, could it? Much of the furniture and decorations were either stolen or taken away by her fellow members. What was left thankfully looked relatively untouched by Winterspring's homeless population, which tended to gather toward the east end of the city. Still, the dirty backstreet wasn't much of a sight for sore eyes.

Kiryu treaded carefully around several broken bottles and checked to see if the grass stash was still there, hidden behind a couple empty crates. It wasn't, of course, but while Kiryu searched, the real reason the teen had returned made her appearance.

From behind her, Kiryu heard someone clear their throat. She turned to find Ayame leaning against the brick wall, arms crossed and one leg propped up against the building. "Oh, hey," Kiryu waved at her friend and smiled.

"I'm surprised that you made it," the older women commented, raising her eyebrows to acknowledge Kiryu's presence, but not returning her expression.

"Yeah, well, I almost couldn't leave the house," the last time the two had seen each other in person was the first day of Kiryu's tutoring. She and Ayame had continued to text each other, but communications had slowed as Kiryu became more involved with her training. The sixteen-year-old truly was glad to see Ayame again and had hoped that her partner in crime would be joining them as well. "Man, this place is a dump, huh? Where's Tula?"

"Dunno, she took off this morning," Ayame's cool tone threw Kiryu off slightly. Why was she acting so distant? The redhead motioned around the enclosure, "No one's been here for a while, 'sept Tula and me. We're all waiting for you to call the Cats back together."

"Oh, yeah," Kiryu had planned on having a meeting once the whole gang controversy died down, but it must've… Slipped her mind.

"So, when's the next meeting, then?" Ayame abruptly asked, catching Kiryu off guard. She paused, unsure how to answer. With the semester over, Kiryu _guessed_ that she could have some kind of get-together, but she wasn't exactly sure what her schedule would look like in the near future. Meeting with the Alley Cats several times a week felt like so long ago. It was marvel that they could manage it.

"Hm, I'm not sure," she said apologetically, shrugging. "I've just been so busy, I haven't thought about when I can hold one."

"I see," Ayame shot the girl a thin smile. "Too busy sucking up to your professor, I guess."

Kiryu looked sharply at her friend, taken aback by the comment. "No," she managed to eek out.

"Oh, then you're just too busy hanging out with your new girlfriend," Ayame sneered, much to Kiryu's chagrin.

"Yeah, so, what if I am?" the hurt from the older female's comments quickly stoked Kiryu's temper. What the hell did Ayame care who Kiryu was spending time with? And she wasn't exactly one to talk, either. "Do you have a problem with who I hang out with?"

"Word on the campus is that you and that Suki chick are stuck together like glue. Natsume says you're always talking to Takumi, too."

"What do you care?" Kiryu shot back venomously while Ayame began pacing about the backstreet.

"I want to know why you're buddying up with a freak like Takumi," the dropout's calm demeanor disappeared as the argument became more heated. "He's the guy that almost got us thrown in jail, not to mention nearly froze you to death, remember? And he's still out there today, trying to ruin the lives of people like us!"

Kiryu hesitated. Ayame did have a point, at least in part. Still, she didn't know Takumi like Kiryu did; the man was actually capable of compassion. Some of the time. "…It's not all bad, you know," Kiryu finally responded. "I've actually learned a lot about being a Burst Warrior from him."

Ayame scoffed, glaring at Kiryu like she was some stupid kid. The former thief did not appreciate the condescending look. It reminded her of a number of people, Takumi included.

"Kiryu, he's obviously using you," Ayame said, as if it were common knowledge. For Kiryu, the accusation seemed to come out of left field.

"What?" she was immediately skeptical, but Ayame seemed happy to elaborate.

"I've already heard all about the way he's been acting towards you," the nineteen-year-old was referring to Kiryu's infrequent texts about her private lessons, "complimenting you, putting his 'trust' in your abilities or whatever- it's all bullshit. You were the one who told us that Takumi was on the verge of getting canned; the only way to make himself look better was to make it seem like he put you on the straight and narrow. Can't you see that, Kiryu?"

The younger woman didn't know what to say. Was Takumi acting nicer towards her for his own benefit? Kiryu remembered when her instructor had told her that she was his last hope... Was all that crap about her improvement just a ploy to manipulate her? During those first few weeks after she had met Takumi, Kiryu was convinced that everything he said was part of some scheme to screw up her life. Ayame was making that old insecurity rear its ugly head once more.

"I…" Kiryu almost trailed off, prompting a grim smirk of satisfaction from Ayame. But the teen steeled her resolve, looked her friend in the eyes, and spoke directly towards her. "…No, I don't think that's right. You've never even met Takumi in person, you don't know him like I do. There's another side to him. He may act stuck-up, but Suki and I know that Takumi's capable of being more than just a jerk."

Ayame wasn't having it. She crossed her arms and pretended to retch. "He's a flat-out jackass, Kiryu. And that Suki bitch is a bigger freak than Takumi," she scoffed at the now-silent girl. "I thought you were an Alley Cat, but if you'd rather hang out with those two idiots, then be my guest," when no response came from Kiryu, Ayame sniffed and turned to leave. Her point made, she made to exit the hideout and abandon her friend in the alley.

"…"

"…HEY! Don't you turn your back on me!" the order came loud and assertive enough to make the taller, stronger female flinch and stop in her tracks. Kiryu channeled her old leader voice as she lashed out at Ayame, "and don't you _dare_ insult my friends like that. Not Suki, and not Takumi, either! What kind of person just walks out on a friend like that, huh?"

"I am not!" Ayame tried to give a retort, but faltered under the piercing gaze of Kiryu. She'd never seen the teen this angry before. "You're the one trying to walk out on the Alley Cat-"

"Yeah, so?" Kiryu cut in. "If you're just going to act more entitled than Takumi ever was, I'd be happy to walk out!" much like her previous outbursts, Kiryu felt the words spill out of her mouth without even thinking. There was one difference, though. When she had argued with Takumi, Kiryu knew, deep down, that her fury came from a place of angst and fear. Now, it came from someplace else. Something felt much more righteous about standing up for Takumi and Suki. "You're acting just like I did," Kiryu continued vehemently, "inviting people to join your little group, then ditching them once they got there!"

"I'm not trying to do that," Ayame's low voice became pleading, "I wanted to talk to you about-"

"No," Kiryu shook her head and pointed menacingly at the woman, "this is exactly why I'm glad to be rid of the Alley Cats."

"There's nothing wrong with the-"

"Yes, there is!" Kiryu's aggression did not fade as she drew on the words of another, "a stupid gang like the Alley Cats is just an empire of dust, Ayame! I wasn't going to get anywhere, doing petty crime my entire life… I was going down a dead-end street, and I lost one of my best friends along the way…" Kiryu heard her voice catch, dredging up memories from what felt like an eternity ago.

"With Suki and Takumi, though, I can feel myself improving," Kiryu continued to speak from the heart. Burnt out from her outburst, she tried to explain her mindset to her friend. "I'm not just a better Burst Warrior. I've made a real connection with my Pokémon, and I can feel proud about my accomplishments. Not pride in my gang for stealing enough money to get high, but pride in actually improving myself. I hope you can understand that," the teen sighed, feeling like she'd just emptied her gut out. "I don't want to fight with you, Ayame. I really do how you feel; I don't like facing change, either."

After lapsing into silence, Kiryu bit her lower lip, hoping for any kind of response to break the cold, dead air. She wasn't exactly sure what to make of what she just said, either. But if anyone could understand her, it was Ayame. Maybe. She stared intently at the crimson-haired woman, hoping that she wouldn't try and yell at her again.

"…I know you don't want to fight," Ayame finally spoke, self-consciously grabbing her arm and staring at the ground, "and, for what it's worth, I shouldn't have come at you like I did. That's Tula rubbing off on me, and I sure as hell don't want to start acting like her," across the backstreet, Kiryu's shoulders slumped in relief. Ayame understood, at least partially.

"Thanks, girl," she made to walk over to the older girl for an embrace, then stopped herself as Ayame's eyes locked onto her with an intense sternness.

"But," Ayame interjected, "I still don't like what's going on with that Genji guy. Call it street smarts or women's intuition or whatever, I think he's bad news. Don't let him use you, or give him the chance to mess with your life again," Kiryu tried to suppress the feeling of being talked down to by Lin.

"You really don't need to warn me about-"

"Look, if I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. There's no harm to you," Ayame shrugged, "but if I'm right, then don't say I didn't warn ya," sensing that Ayame seemed eager to leave, Kiryu let the matter drop and nodded. The gesture was returned, and the older woman turned to exit the former Alley Cat hideout.

Before she left, however, Ayame glanced back at her companion warily, then gave a final gesture of good will. "You know that if you ever need anything, Tula and I will be waiting for you, right?"

Kiryu blinked at the question, but responded with an affirmative shake of the head. "Yeah, I know, thanks."

"Good," Ayame gave a small, compassionate smile back, then hastily left the backstreet. Kiryu was left alone. Though they seemingly parted on good terms, the younger Burst Warrior couldn't shake the feeling that this was the last time she'd see Ayame under the same circumstances. She shivered in the winter breeze, then followed the already-distant Ayame out of the alley, resolving to abandon the hideout once and for all.

* * *

Suki gazed up at a clear night sky, free of any precipitation or smog. With the constant cover of clouds completely dispersed, the skyline of Winterspring was now covered with a dispersed array of stars, visible despite the light pollution of the city. Not as many stars as in Almia, though. Suki felt a rare pang of homesickness for the beautiful vistas of her home region. She continued to stare past the buildings until she found that her escort was now several paces ahead of her, having left the female completely behind. She was forced to race up the city street in order to catch up with Takumi once more.

The man, himself, strode forwards at a brisk pace, seemingly caught in a somber mood. He kept his head down and his hands in his coat pockets, glaring at the sidewalk and ignoring all passerby. Suki, always with a tendency to blame herself for these kinds of social problems, hoped that her attitude during dinner wasn't the cause of Takumi's funk. After he had been so kind to thank her with a meal, too.

By the time Suki reached him, Takumi was stopped at the window of a storefront. Inside were several electronics, including a series of overpriced televisions, all stuck on the same channel for display purposes. The male Burst Warrior watched them, his brow furrowing slightly. Staying a few steps behind Takumi, Suki peered over his shoulder, curious as to what he was watching. She realized that the female reporter on-screen was talking about Takumi's own home of Sinnoh.

"-a massive break-in and data breach has taken place at the headquarters of the Galactic Corporation in Veilstone City, at midnight last night," the newscaster reported to the camera. "The attack was confirmed this afternoon during a press conference with Galactic's own CEO," the scene cut to the image of a young man with outrageous blue hair, barely older than Suki, standing at a podium and answering questions from a crowd of shouting reporters.

"Director Saturn, how much damage has the facility suffered, and are you aware of any reasons that someone would cause this break-in?"

"For the last time, it was not a physical 'break-in,'" the Galactic CEO seemed considerably exhausted, most likely having been dealing with the situation throughout the day. He pinched the bridge of his nose with irritation, "it was a cyber-attack into our data archives. And no, I am not aware of any reason for hacking into an energy company like ours. Next question?"

"Director Saturn, do you believe that this attack has anything to do with the terrorism perpetrated by your company five years ago?" Saturn's face blanched.

"Wh-what terrorism?!" he stammered into the microphone, sweating profusely. "I-I mean, that was all alleged! You c-can't prove anything! …Kadabra, Psybeam!" from out of thin air, the CEO's Psychic Pokémon Teleported in and pointed its spoon at the camera. The footage immediately cut off into static.

Keeping a few paces behind him, Suki gently tapped Takumi on the shoulder, "Did something happen?"

Takumi instinctively whipped his head behind him upon being touched, but relaxed when discovering the source. "No, no, I'd just rather stay up to date on the news in my home region," his voice was distant, as if daydreaming or preoccupied with some other problem. Without warning, he resumed his fast pace away from Suki, forcing her to run after him once more. Once she reached Takumi again, she swallowed her hesitancy and made another attempt at conversation.

"I, er, enjoyed the meal we had tonight," the receptionist offered quietly.

"Oh, yes, well," Takumi said quickly, glancing at Suki, then turning away, "hopefully it wasn't too boring for your liking."

"Oh no, not at all!" Suki lied, "it was… Uh… Very interesting, I guess."

"I must confess, I was expecting Miss Camilla to accompany us and provide a little more… Conversation," Takumi had neglected to tell Suki that he was put under false pretenses by Kiryu, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Don't worry, I understand," Suki said with a warm smile, drawing her companion's attention toward her. "I'm not exactly the most outgoing person in the world, either. It's a new experience for both of us."

Funny, Takumi mused to himself, Miss Harmoni seemed able to talk openly only after being around others for a long period of time. Otherwise, she was more closed than a Clamperl grasping a Deep Sea Scale. On the other hand, a skilled Burst Warrior like Takumi was free to brag and lecture all he wanted, but when it came to forging a personal connection, he faltered. …Not that any of it mattered, because social needs were for the weak.

"I'm not an expert," Suki seemed insistent on carrying on, while Takumi just wished for the evening to end, "but maybe we can teach each other how to be a bit more open, hm?" she flashed Takumi a hopeful look.

The teacher sighed. If this was what it took to give a simple "thank you," then so be it. "Very well. What do you want to talk about, Miss Harmoni?"

"Well, normally, people start by talking about what they have in common," the woman gave a playful grin. "So, er, do you like watching movies?"

"I only watch films that include proper Bursting technique, so that I might be able to better hone my own skills," Takumi answered. Suki frowned.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a romantic comedy or drama," she clarified.

"No," was the monotone reply.

"Read any good books, lately?" she tried again.

"I recently reread your grandfather's memoirs on his training atop Mount Ichira. I was also required by the school board to read a teacher's safety pamphlet after destroying a student's house with a Blizzard attack."

"Have you been outside of Sinnoh before now?"

"My father and I once flew to Cianwood City so that we could learn how to prepare for battle via meditation."

"Oh, well that's interesting! Did you get to see the Whirl Islands?"

"No, I meditated under a waterfall for the entire weekend."

Sensing a pattern, Suki said flatly, "do you have any interests at all outside of Burst battling?" The question caused Takumi to stop abruptly in place.

…What _were_ his interests outside of being a Burst Warrior? His life didn't _solely_ revolve around the art of battling, did it? While Takumi unfortunately recalled many an unwilling excursion with his friends in college, it was almost never because Takumi _wanted_ to go out. An average night with Clove usually resulted in an often-life-threatening situation that Takumi was forced to solve… With his Bursting abilities.

"…To tell the truth," Takumi finally responded, "I haven't exactly had many interests outside of battling. Training to become the strongest Burst Warrior I could be has been my life's goal for as long as I can remember."

"Oh," Suki put a hand to her mouth, immediately regretting her bluntness. "I'm sorry to hear that-"

"Don't be," Takumi shot her a defensive glare, "it was time well-spent."

The twenty-year-old flushed. "Yes, I'm sure it was," she doubled back timidly. Given Takumi's strength, though, Suki couldn't begin to imagine how many hours he must've spent honing his skills as a boy. She certainly wouldn't have had that kind of dedication. Then again, the Harmoni family had the wealth to allow Suki to jump from hobby to hobby when she was younger, so her perspective was quite different.

Takumi placed his hands in his pockets, seeming even more troubled than before. The young man's shoulders slouched, and he kept his gaze averted from the person at his side. Suki could tell that, despite the pride in his own strength, Takumi had some longing, somewhere deep inside, to try something new. Maybe there was some way Suki could help him, though. It was the least she could do.

"Well, all of that training really paid off, didn't it?" the secretary began, "You're pretty much the strongest Burst Warrior in Winterspring, right?" Takumi gave a subdued shrug, but Suki persisted. "And after all that training, doing something different might make for a good change of pace, don't you think?"

"Mmm," Takumi mumbled reluctantly, but his indecisiveness was further encouragement for Suki.

"C'mon, what do you say we go somewhere else tonight?" she urged.

"Miss Harmoni, Burst Warriors such as myself don't have time for-"

"Please, let's make a night of it!" Suki met her escort with pleading eyes. For some reason, Takumi couldn't look away from the innocent expression behind his companion's... Admittedly dazzling good looks.

"…Very well," he conceded begrudgingly, having successfully been broken. And it didn't take too much prodding, either. It wasn't often the Sinnohan felt regret for his actions, but the realization of just how much time he'd spent on training left Takumi with a bit of… Disenchantment. He didn't like it.

Suki's clasped her hands together and smiled, face lighting up with elation while Takumi glanced away with a distracted cough. "Great!" spending time with a friend was always welcome, even one as stoic as Takumi. Now Suki was the one to lead their procession down the sidewalk while her escort followed behind.

"Did you have anything in mind to show me?" the Burst Warrior asked doubtingly. The two had made no plans or reservations after dinner, and it would soon be too late to do anything interesting.

"No, but I'm sure we'll find something," Suki reassured. "There's always a new place to go in a city like this."

The pair turned a street corner and were forced to avert their eyes from a bright light across the road. A large, modern theater, normally used for musicals and concerts, flashed its multicolored lights across central Winterspring. Displayed across the front awning was an advertisement for an 8:00 Pokémon Contest. One that would be starting very shortly.

"Pokémon Contests," Takumi scoffed, folding his arms and turning his nose up at the frilly competition. All the while completely unaware of the excited look on Suki's face.

"Perfect!" the next thing Takumi knew, Suki was dragging him toward the theater, unable to resist the call to adventure. He was regretting this already.

"H-hold on a minute, do you even think they'll sell us tickets on such short notice?" Takumi desperately questioned, stalling for more time to think about this. Suki was undeterred.

"Pokémon Trainers always show up to these things last-minute, so why not?" after Takumi insisted on paying for two seats, he and Suki were allowed inside to watch the show.

By the time they got to their seats, the auditorium was fully packed and the show had just started. A Masquerain darted about the curtained stage, sending out Bubble attacks towards the ceiling and then popping each one with Air Slash, creating a shower of sparkles. Suki "ooh'd" and "aah'd" at each move whilst Takumi propped his head up on his hand, feeling a headache coming on. And this was only the first act.

Once the performer was finished, the secretary was one of many to give a standing ovation. "I always loved it when a contest came to Almia," Suki fawned as the second coordinator and his foreign Vileplume took the stage. "Our region never had its own Grand Festival. What are Contests like in Sinnoh?"

"I never had much interest in Pokémon Contests," Takumi admitted, "shocking, I know. They're mostly just an excuse for trainers to dress up their Pokémon and make them dance. Not much in the way of stratagem."

"I think the dress-up portion is more of a Sinnoh thing," Suki raised her voice over the crowd. "Most contests are usually just the performance appeals and battles. When I was travelling, I wanted to enter a contest so badly, but I didn't make it in time to register," the female reminisced.

"Travel?" that piqued Takumi's interest. Much like his pupil, the Burst Warrior was unable to picture Suki going on a journey as a trainer. "You mean you travelled around Almia with your Pokémon?" Suki laughed, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

"Oh boy, here we go again," Suki said playfully, "Yes, I went on a little Pokémon journey for a year. I don't suppose you'd like to hear about it?"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't be opposed," Takumi perked up a bit, giving her a small smile of his own. Something about the way his female friend laughed caused the solemn professor to loosen up a bit. "Tell me, what is Almia like?"

"The countryside is beautiful, Takumi," Suki said, waving a hand towards a memory. "I just loved being out on the road with my Pokémon. The first time you sail out on the Puel Sea, or look out on the region from Vien forest," she sighed with romanticism. "It was just… Breathtaking. And Almia is so secluded, I'd love to show the sights to someone else. Share the experience, you know?"

"It must compare nicely with the Sinnoh-blue horizon around Mt. Coronet," Takumi spoke quietly, feeling a knot in his stomach for his own northern landscape. Suki may have lived in Sakhaloh for a couple years, but she was once a stranger just like him, Takumi realized. He had been so focused on her legendary grandfather, he hadn't considered that there was more to learn from Suki than he had initially thought.

Much to the annoyance of the people sitting around them, Takumi and Suki didn't pay too much attention to the rest of the contest. They were too busy talking to each other. Neither of the introverts could remember the last time they held a conversation for so long, but there was so much to discuss. Suki's journey across Almia, the picturesque landscape of their home regions, Takumi's reluctant escapades throughout college, it all felt natural to tell each other about their experiences, then listen as the other one regaled theirs. The stern professor and quiet secretary may not have shared too much in common, but learning about each other felt like a good start.

* * *

The light of the half moon shone down over the roof of an eight-story office building and onto Kiryu and her Pokémon. Her legs dangled off the edge of the structure and hung above the city nightlife, unafraid of the vast distance to earth. Espeon lay in Kiryu's lap, gazing intently toward the sky at something only a Psychic type could see. Liepard sat next to them and purred with each pet from her partner, happy for the rare occasion of being outside of the Burst Heart. Mienshao sat cross-legged on an exhaust vent, meditating with her usual intense focus. It was rare that the young Burst Warrior had the time to let all her Pokémon out at the same time, so she made sure to savor every minute of peace.

From her perch, the view of the city was magnificent. Winterspring had grown even bigger since Kiryu was a little kid. The central entertainment district, the dockyards to the west, the suburbs in the south, even the ugly warehouses in the east, had all grown both taller and wider. The only thing that was relatively unchanged was RéBURST Academy, sitting on its hill in the north. The teen could hardly believe that, only a couple generations ago, the second largest city in Sakhaloh was once some mystical town for Burst Warriors. Just like she couldn't believe that, just a couple months ago, she had been some young punk out on the street.

Inevitably, Kiryu's thoughts returned to her previous encounter, the words exchanged between her and her older friend, and the question posed by Ayame: _"I thought you were an Alley Cat."_

Was Kiryu an Alley Cat? At this point, the former thief wasn't even sure what the term meant. As far as Kiryu was concerned, she _was_ the Alley Cats. Her fellow members certainly didn't seem to take much initiative without her, after all. Not that the title really meant much, all things considered.

Then there was Ayame's warning. A month ago, Kiryu wouldn't have doubted the idea that Takumi was using her to make himself look better. In fact, Takumi basically told her as much after they defeated Lockhart together. That said, Kiryu didn't see her mentor in that way. Not only had he given her insight on how to bond with her Pokémon (Kiryu gave a pointed look at the Fighting type off to the side), he also worked in sync with his pupil over the course of their double battle. That was a sign of at least _some_ amount of trust, right? Call it friendship or a "spiritual bond" or whatever you want, Kiryu thought, the fact that they kicked Lockhart's ass together had to account for something, didn't it?

At the end of the day, though, maybe it didn't matter whether Takumi cared about her. Kiryu knew, in retrospect, that becoming Mr. Genji's student saved her from a dark place. Whether it was Takumi's intention or not was irrelevant. Kiryu didn't feel stuck in the past anymore, trying to drag Ivy along with her or getting caught up in Lin's superiority complex. She could look at herself in the mirror and see a better person looking back. The raven-haired girl was a more skilled Burst Warrior, she felt closer to her Pokémon and she could look to the future with optimism. …And she had made some good friends in Suki, and maybe Takumi as well.

Bringing herself back to reality, Kiryu stared up at the clear Sakhaloh sky and smiled. If Mom was up in the heavens, somewhere, maybe she was looking down on her daughter with pride. The Espeon on her lap relaxed alongside her partner, who was consoled by the idea that she was doing her mom justice. It was about to be a new era for Kiryu. Who would want to give that up to be an Alley Cat, anyways?

In actuality, returning to the material realm just made Kiryu realize how freaking cold it was up on the rooftop. The student shivered and hugged the Dark type next to her for warmth, looking down towards the sidewalk far below. That's when she noticed two familiar heads bobbing within the crowd. Speak of the devil, Kiryu thought to herself, those two were still out and about? She had figured that the awkward silence wouldn't have been bearable for more than a half hour.

"Come on, guys," Kiryu took out her Burst Hearts to return her Pokémon, "let's go pay our friends one last visit tonight."

* * *

Takumi and Suki at least made sure to pay attention to the Contest finale. They watched as the final two Coordinators' Mothim and Floatzel duked it out on the stage in a dazzling performance of skill and beauty. Naturally, it didn't stop Takumi from commenting on the "weak" trainers and how he would've ended the battle much sooner. Suki wasn't too invested in Takumi's battling lingo, rather, she stayed silent and leaned on Takumi's side in their seats. The 22-year-old flinched upon contact, but allowed the matter to slide for now… In fact, it felt rather nice to feel the female's soft cheek resting on his shoulder.

Afterwards, Takumi had been somewhat worried that he'd bored his escort to tears once more, but his fears were assuaged after the Contest had concluded.

"Where should we go now?" Suki asked with enthusiasm as they walked down the theater steps.

"Now?" the older Burst Warrior brushed a hand through his hair. "I don't know, Suki, Winter and Summer usually expect me to train with them at 6:00 AM sharp-"

"Oh, do you think they opened up the ice-skating rink yet?" his companion interrupted, beaming at Takumi. "I haven't practiced in so long, I don't know how well I'd do! Have you ever gone skating before?" two wide, brown eyes locked onto him, and the Sinnohan couldn't help but give in.

"No, I can't say that I have," oh well, hopefully his father's Froslass and Roserade would understand. "Which way did you say it was?"

The two walked to the town square of Winterspring. The old city hall stood alongside an ancient statue, constructed by an unknown architect several generations beforehand. The abstract depiction of a Gracidea Flower, a symbol of the former "guardian" of Winterspring, was now surrounded by a thoroughly modern ice-skating rink for families, friends and couples to partake in.

After renting complimentary pairs of skates, Takumi and Suki cautiously stepped onto the ice, trying not to immediately slip and crash.

"It isn't so bad once you get used to it," Suki slid forward slightly, arms outstretched to maintain balance. "I've only skated a couple times, but it's like riding a -OH!"

Takumi, having honed his coordination on a regular basis, instinctively skated forward to catch a falling Suki before she slammed into the ground. His arm quickly wrapped around Suki's waist while the other hand latched onto the nearby railing, barely stopping himself from falling forwards. He managed to catch the secretary just before she landed, holding her so close to the ground that her ponytail lay folded on the ice.

"Th-thanks," Suki whispered, face turning red upon realizing the way she was being held. Takumi, more concerned that he had nearly done a split to catch her, yanked Suki back up a bit too harshly, causing her to fall forwards into his stable figure. "Wow, you're good at this," the young woman commented at Takumi's newfound skating skills.

"It must come easy when you Burst with an Ice type," Takumi responded dryly. After the first brush with the ground, Suki made sure to stay by Takumi's side, arm locked around his.

Neither Takumi nor Suki were experts at skating by any means, but once they got the hang of things, the pair could skate around the rink at a reasonable pace. Suki gasped each time her partner attempted to speed up, but the Takumi always hung on tightly, keeping her from slipping and leaving her giggling as they slid around a corner. The couple skated onwards, holding each other for balance and enjoying the cool wind contrast with the warmth of the body at their side.

By midnight, the time had come to part ways. Suki insisted that Takumi accompany her to the outskirts of the city proper, and he was not one to complain. Far from the busy crowds in the central district, the two stood alongside a snowbank next to a streetlamp, completely alone.

"Thanks so much for everything, Takumi," Suki's arm was still linked around his, but when the time had come to leave, she merely shifted the grasp to their fingers. Now, Takumi found himself holding the secretary's soft, pale hands in his palms.

"It was merely the polite thing to do," the teacher said back neutrally. Suki's gaze was set directly on the man across from her. Takumi swallowed self-consciously and continued, "I'm, er, happy that we could salvage the night. It all made for quite an interesting experience… Thanks, Suki."

"We could always do it again, sometime," the moonlight shining on the young woman's face made her look positively stunning. Maybe because of the streetlight? He wasn't sure. Then Suki leaned in closer, and the cold-hearted Burst Warrior felt a chill go down his spine that wasn't from the Sakhaloh winter. "You, me and Kiryu," Suki offered, barely louder than a whisper, gently looking up at him, "or maybe just the two of us…"

"I, uh, sssure," Takumi felt his tongue go numb, for once at a loss for words. Dammit, what was that confounded advice Clove always gave him in a situation like this?!

Suki giggled and squeezed Takumi's hands, but said nothing. All the better, the Burst Warrior thought as he squeezed back, allowing himself a small smile of his own. The warmth from Suki's beautiful face was melting his stern façade, while the young woman could just barely see beyond the his cold, grey eyes. For now, that was enough.

"…"

Takumi's hand snapped towards his Burst Heart the moment he heard the rustling bushes, but it was too late. A figure leapt from her hiding spot and pounced on him, knocking them both into the snowbank and leaving a shocked Suki standing there alone, like a deer in the headlights.

"You guys said my name?" the Liepard Burst cackled, trying to make her own voice as obnoxious as possible. For the first time since they'd met, Kiryu had successfully snuck up on her rival. That, alone, made sitting in a snow-covered bush worth it.

"Ugh," Takumi growled, elbowing the Dark type off of him before standing up, overcoat covered with snow. He glared daggers at a smug Kiryu. "You're worse than Clove, you know."

"If Clove is anything to go by, that just means he really like us," Takumi's student nudged Suki and smirked. Despite the blush over exactly how much Kiryu had seen, Suki chuckled alongside her friend. Clothes dripping wet, Takumi waved a dismissive hand at the both of them.

"Takumi and I had a lot of fun today," Suki smiled at her younger friend. "I'm sorry you couldn't make it, Kiryu."

The teen shrugged and Unbursted, not in the mood to bring up her encounter with Ayame. "Yeah, that's fine, I had a lot of stuff to do… But I'd much rather hang out with you guys, anyways."

"Really now?" the male raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Of course!" Kiryu suddenly grabbed Takumi's sleeve and pulled him into one big group. She put her arms around the shoulders of both taller adults, as if they'd been her good buddies all along. "The night is still young, you know. How about we go do something while there's still time?"

"Well, I don't know," Suki mumbled quietly, glancing up at the darkened sky.

"It's rather late, Miss Camilla," Takumi tried to look at his watch.

"Come on, I insist!" Kiryu let go of the two and motioned down the sidewalk. "Let's find some place to eat, I'm starving."

"Well, I suppose," Takumi and Suki said in unison, glancing at each other simultaneously. The couple then shrugged, put on matching smiles and fell in behind the younger Burst Warrior. Kiryu shot them both a grin and led her two unlikely friends back into the city.

* * *

 **I got this chapter edited and ready for posting just in time for this fanfic's one year anniversary! Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers thus far, and here's to what will hopefully be many more years of RéBURST!**

 **Well, I was a bit worried about writing this chapter, given that I've never written anything like it before. If it wasn't painfully clear already, I may add an element of romance between Takumi and Suki. My experience with writing romance is zilch, but hey, you gotta start somewhere, right? That said, I have been listening to the reviews thus far, and came to understand that some of my older readers were hesitant about adding romance to this retelling. Well, consider this the test run. Your reviews are more important than ever in this chapter, because I need to know how capable I am of handling a romantic subplot!**

 **For now, though, I'll be holding you all in the limbo of "will-they-or-wont-they" until further notice. I was always quite fond of the romantic relationship between Takumi and Suki in the original roleplay, even if it was reportedly spur-of-the-moment. So please, review, and give me a critique on the chapter, and the story in general! Even if you're a newcomer, your opinions and support are always highly appreciated.**

 **Next time... Well, you'll just have to see for yourself where the story is headed...**


	13. Welcome to the Machine

Several glasses clacked together above the wooden table of a noisy sports bar. Each one was held up by five different people, spread out around a circular booth in the corner of the room. Throughout the restaurant, groups of patrons talked loudly, drank heavily and listened to the live music, an old tribute band of guitars and brass. Waiters pirouetted around the crowd, serving all kinds of meals, while a surly bartender poured out hard liquor for the older customers. Of the five young adults in the booth, one seemed particularly loose-lipped.

"Can I- can I just say…" Clove slurred, a goofy grin plastered over his face. Suki, sitting across from the rosy-cheeked charmer, leaned over and asked a concern question to Takumi at her side.

"Did he pregame the night out?" she whispered to the older man, who rolled his eyes.

"No, basic articulation has just always eluded him," he shook his head hopelessly.

Blissfully ignorant of his counterpart's insult, Clove continued to give his speech. "Let me just say, there's no place I'd rather be than with my best buds in Sakhaloh!" the self-proclaimed genius had decided to spend his winter break with Takumi and company in one of the coldest regions in the world. "That's why I'd like to propose a toast," Clove kept his drink held high and grinned at each individual at the table, as if ready to thank them all. Then he turned toward Takumi and smiled expectantly. "So… Takumi, come on and give us a toast!"

"What?!" Takumi shouted indignantly. "Why do I have to do it? You're the one making a big scene about it!"

"Can we hurry this up? My arm's getting tired," Kiryu yawned, her glass still held high alongside the others.

"No can do, Takumi," the final member of the group, a newcomer, declined his friend's request while Clove shook his head beside him. The older, sandy-haired man was another college buddy from Sinnoh who had accompanied Clove across the sea for lack of anything better to do.

"Clove and I are the guests," the new guy said, "so you gotta be a good host and thank us for our gracious appearance," When no one was watching, Kiryu stole a glance at the man's strange attire; she wasn't sure if the blue hanfu he was wearing came from the feudal era or the 1960's. It certainly smelled like the latter, though.

"Well, one of us has to say something inspiring, and it ain't going to be me," Clove declared with a self-assured grunt. "…How about we make the kid do it?" all eyes instantly became focused on Kiryu, sitting in the very center of the booth. And so, it was decreed.

"You're all a bunch of assholes," the teen moaned, but smirked at Clove and the others good-naturedly. "Alright, uh…" she hadn't the slightest idea what to say but was no stranger to improv. Eventually she simply said the first thankful thing that came to her mind.

"Here's to surviving another semester. You know, not getting expelled and all," Kiryu glanced at her five companions around the table. They'd all come a long way in the past couple months, she realized. That was something to celebrate, right? "Here's to meeting a bunch of hardcore dudes… And, uh, here's to having a good brew in front of us!"

"I'll drink to that!" Clove smacked his own beer into the other glasses, spilling it all over the table, then began chugging.

"Amen," the newcomer gave a lackadaisical nod towards the student. Kiryu knew a glazed, stoner expression when she saw one, and this guy certainly had it, with an attitude to match. He was neither as hyperactive as Clove nor as serious as Takumi, and the man apparently couldn't Burst, either. Fortunately, he more than made up for it with that strange outfit, as well as a very distinctive nickname.

Taking a sip of her soda, the student raised her eyebrows innocently at Takumi's friend. "So, Avery, Takumi was telling me that you have your own nickname back in Sinnoh," Kiryu tapped her forehead, pretending to try and remember. "What was it… the 'Old Geezer,' or something?" The reaction was instantaneous.

"Damn it, Takumi, I'm not old!" the question immediately put a scowl the 'Old Man's' face and sent his two college buddies into fits of laughter. Clove pounded the bottom of the table with his fist, trying not to choke on his drink. Even Takumi was forced to cover his mouth to hide a smirk.

"Why do they call you that?" though they didn't get the joke, the complete change in Avery's demeanor was enough to make Suki and Kiryu smile. The Sinnohan sullenly stirred his drink while his companions chuckled at his expense.

"Never you mind," the Old Man said to Suki, then growled at an unphased Takumi, "and mind your own damn business! Twenty-eight is not old!"

"For you, it is!" Clove guffawed, then explained to the ladies, "Takumi and I met him our freshman year when he was supposed to graduate. Four years later, and he's still enrolled at Sunyshore today!"

"Shut. Up," Avery's hands balled into fists, ready to sock Clove in the face. It did little to quell the laughter. "You know I'm still working on that medical degree!" Takumi raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Is that what you call it? Last time I checked, you were living in a tent near the Great Marsh with a harem of-"

"Okay, that's enough!" the Old Man frantically interrupted Takumi, waving his arms over the table to cut him off. "C'mon, man, there's a kid here. She doesn't need to know about that," This earned another laugh from everyone at the table, eventually forcing even Avery to put on a sheepish grin of his own.

One of the restaurant's waiters, a fellow student at the academy, came over to the table and began taking orders. While waiting for the others, Kiryu leaned back in the booth and gave a content sigh. Her toast ended up being more honest than she'd planned, but she didn't mind. The teen had already been spending the first half of winter break with Takumi and Suki, and she was looking forward to spending the subsequent half with all four companions. Whether it be visiting Suki's house or doing some extra training with Mr. Genji, Kiryu found that there were a lot of fun things to do outside of schoolwork, being grounded and petty crime.

When it came time to order, the raven-haired girl threw in an additional request to the server, "Hey Shinji, how about you bring over another glass of what Suki's having," Kiryu motioned slyly towards the glass of red wine sitting in front of the secretary. Shinji Canna, a kind-hearted, if somewhat dull, sophomore, was already put off by the fact that his classmate was sitting at the same table as their gym teacher. Being asked to provide alcohol seemed to be too much for the nervous waiter. Luckily, Takumi was there to step in before he had to make any touch decisions.

"Mr. Canna, if you serve that girl alcohol, I'll have you expelled from RéBURST Academy before you wake up tomorrow morning," he told the waiter in no uncertain terms, ignoring the disappointed groans from Kiryu and Clove.

"Y-yes sir, of course not!" Takumi's threat actually seemed to be somewhat of a relief to the boy, who now had an excuse not to serve his fellow student. As he ran off to wait on two suited men across the room, the professor turned his stern gaze on Kiryu.

"I may not be on the clock when watching you anymore, but I'm not going to get fired over your chronic alcoholism."

"Aw, you're no fun," Kiryu gave him a cheeky look while Clove and Avery booed their friend for being a buzzkill.

"C'mon, Takumi, let the kid have a drink. Where's the fun if we're not all wasted together?" Clove argued, but ultimately failed to persuade his old roommate.

"I'm afraid not," Takumi refused. Then, with a sly glint of his own, added, "and I'm sure Miss Camilla wouldn't want to spoil her first drink with saps like you two," to this, Kiryu only gave a humble shrug. First drink, right. The teen guessed that she could probably drink everyone in the room under the table. Save for perhaps Clove, given the speed that he downed his second bottle.

After a bit more conversation, Kiryu excused herself to go powder her nose before Shinji returned with the food. As she pushed her way through the booth, it occurred to her that Takumi and Suki were sitting noticeably close to each other. Her two new friends, Kiryu observed, seemed to become closer and closer by the day. The night that Kiryu left the two alone wasn't a singular occurrence. Rather, an excited Suki had reported to Kiryu that she and Takumi were getting together on the regular. While she tried to be a supportive friend, Kiryu wasn't exactly sure _what_ the receptionist saw in Takumi. But hey, she's an adult: whatever makes her happy.

At first, Kiryu remained preoccupied with these thoughts as she walked through the crowded restaurant to the bathroom, but the Burst Warrior's fighting instincts kicked in upon exit. She could feel the uncanny sensation that a pair of eyes were following her through the dining hall. Pretending to fix her hair, she did a brief scan of the main area- and did a double take: two pairs of cold, grey eyes stared at her from the far end of the room.

Startled, Kiryu jumped backwards and nearly fell into the nearest customer. After hastily apologizing, she checked across the restaurant once more for whoever was looking at her. When her gaze crossed over the offending table, however, she only found the heads of two official-looking businessmen buried in their menus… Even though Kiryu swore that she saw Shinji take their order already. She stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before eventually going back to the booth, resolving to keep an eye on the two suited men from that point on.

The food had finally arrived by the time Kiryu returned. Clove swallowed a mouthful of burger before regaling the group with tales of his college antics.

"…and we end up missing the bus back to Sunyshore, right? So Takumi and I, we gotta Burst and just _book_ it all the way back to make it in time for the concert," Clove made exaggerated hand gestures as he spoke, almost knocking over several empty bottles in the process.

Takumi scoffed at colleague, "You needed to lose the freshman fifteen, anyways."

"Wait a minute," Suki was fully engaged with the story, "you two were in a concert? Like, a band concert? I didn't know you could play!" she grabbed Takumi's arm excitedly, but he shook his head.

"Pah, I wouldn't bother with such trivial skills," he dismissed, "musical instruments are for the weak."

"You're looking at the three-year trumpet captain of _Sunyshore U Marching Band_ , doll-face," Clove bragged, pointing at himself. "Don't you listen to Takumi; he's only saying that because he can't play his way out of a paper bag. Can't sing, either. No wonder he gets along with Cinccino so well!" the table chuckled at the 22-year-old, who glowered at his food.

"That's so cool!" Suki clapped her hands together for Clove, who didn't hesitate to wink back. The secretary also reassured her coworker, "Don't worry, I'm sure you don't sound that bad," she smiled toward him.

"Believe me, I do…"

"Believe me, he does," Takumi's best buddy made sure to reiterate. "But enough about that. Did I mention that the Old Man and I play guitar, too?" upon hearing this, the hippie next to Clove nearly choked on his salad.

"First of all, do _not_ fall for this hack fraud's lies," Avery growled at a grinning Clove. "He can play about three chords, just enough to convince women to go to bed with him. And second, _I am not old!"_ the warning was appreciated, but both girls were fully aware of Mr. Field's flirtatious nature.

Clove gave a guilty shrug. "Buy yourself a guitar, walk out on the campus green and start playing: the ladies swarm around you like flies. Works like a charm," Kiryu wasn't sure if her stomach lurched over the metaphor or the chauvinism. Suki, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind at all.

"I tried to learn a few instruments, but it never caught on. Maybe you two can come over and play some time," she suggested.

"Why wait? I can show you right now!" the eager Sinnohan suddenly jumped out of the booth and, like a child showing off his drawing, ran through the crowd and towards the live band. The remaining four at the table tried not to look associated with their friend as grabbed an idle instrument from the resting trumpet player. "Don't worry, fellas, it'll just be one or two songs," he assured several confused musicians. "Let's start with 'Make Me Smile,' eh? Watch me for the changes and try to keep up. Ready?"

"Oh dear, is he always like that?" Suki wasn't sure whether to giggle or apologize on Clove's behalf.

"Unfortunately," Takumi and Avery confirmed simultaneously.

Partially obscured by the surrounding diners, Kiryu took advantage of the distraction and peeked around the booth, checking on those suspicious businessmen once again. Sure enough, while everyone else's attention was drawn to the stage, the two grey-suited patrons were turned directly toward Kiryu's table. Every few seconds, one of them would steal a glance at the girl and her companions, then whisper something undecipherable to the other. Yep, her party was definitely being watched. She also took note that, every once in a while, one of the two stalkers would glance at the entrance to the bar, as if expecting someone to appear. What was their problem? Were they waiting for some kind of backup to come in? Kiryu knew that she had to alert the others.

Takumi was the only person not watching Clove getting literally kicked off the stage (he only made it through about ten bars of the first song), so Kiryu sidled over in the booth and nudged him in the side. "Takumi," she whispered out the side of her mouth, "have you noticed those two guys-"

"Watching us from across the room?" Kiryu's mentor didn't even bother to look up from his bowl. He expertly wrapped some noodles around his chopsticks, then continued, "Yes, I first noticed them about five minutes after we met outside. They've been following us for the past two hours."

"And you didn't tell me?!" Kiryu seethed.

"Giving them any attention would only reveal that we know of their presence. Which you most likely have done by talking so loudly about it," Ah yes, Kiryu thought, just the helpful response she was looking for. The teen felt like kicking Takumi in the shin under the table.

"Tell him what?" Suki asked as she and Avery leaned in to hear the conversation. Kiryu gave a subtle nod toward the businessmen, and soon everyone at the table was buzzing about their stalkers. Everyone except Takumi, who nonchalantly continued to eat and didn't give the men a second glance.

By this point, Clove had finally rejoined the group, nursing a bruise from falling off the small stage. "Did you guys see me?" he said with a grin. His smile faded, however, upon realization that he wasn't getting any attention. "What's all the whispering about?"

"It seems that we have admirers," Takumi said neutrally. His roommate followed Takumi's gaze over to the stalkers, who were now being served food of their own.

"Oh," Clove said, a bit too loudly for Kiryu's taste, "you mean those two guys who have been following-"

"Yes," Takumi hissed, grabbing his friend's sleeve so that he sat down. "You knew about them?"

"Sure, I did," Clove acted as if their presence was obvious. "They've been following the Old Man and me since we left the hotel. I saw them take a couple pictures of us, too."

"What?!" the youngest member of the group gave an indignant cry, feeling more exposed than ever. "They can't do that!" ogling her and her friends was one thing, but snapping a photo? Kiryu raced to find a way to get revenge.

"Should we go talk to them?" Suki suggested hesitantly, but Takumi shook his head.

"There's no need to confront them unless they provoke us, first."

"Are you kidding? What happened to the vigilante that tracked me down for the hell of it?" Kiryu mumbled, recalling the many examples of Takumi's hypocrisy.

"Yes, well, maybe I've learned to use a bit of discretion," Takumi admitted, not too willingly. "What I mean to say is, the five of us are more than capable of handling two suspicious men, or even two Burst Warriors. Until they confront us, we can't presume anything about them," unfortunately for the professor, he was the only one to hold that opinion.

"No way. I'm not letting anyone snap a picture of us without giving them a piece of my mind," Kiryu was not one to let things go lightly. However, confronting two men in a crowded restaurant would involve calling them out in public. Nobody in the group seemed eager to do that, not even the boisterous Clover Fields…

However, it didn't stop him from coming up with a different idea. "…Well, if you want them to stop spying on us, we could always send a little private message… Or maybe a little 'prank,' if you will," slowly, he and Kiryu grew matching mischievous smirks. Avery and Suki were equally happy to be rid of their stalkers. Everyone was on-board with playing a joke on the two men, except for Takumi. The tired adult pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"It's just like junior year all over again."

"So, what do you have in mind?" no stranger to pranks and trickery, Kiryu began thinking of a way to tell the two admirers to back off. Together, she and Clove began brainstorming up a plan.

Eventually, a flash of inspiration overcame the older Burst Warrior, who patted his hippie companion on the back. "Hey Old Man, do you still have the little psychic guy with you?" the 28-year-old stopped mid-bite and looked sharply at Clove.

"I'm not an old… ugh, never mind," he gave a defeated groan, "but didn't you read the sign outside? _No Animals,_ and that includes Pokémon," the Old Man referenced the notice at the restaurant entrance. It was what prevented Kitsune and Ragune from joining the get-together.

"You have a Psychic Pokémon? Don't you have it in a Pokéball or something?" Kiryu asked, but Avery denied it with a scoff and dismissive wave.

"Some people aren't so willing to imprison their friends in cramped, disease-filled containers, you know."

"I didn't see you donating to Team Plasma last year," Takumi pointed out at the tree hugger's soapboxing.

Frankly, Kiryu didn't care about any of the banter. "If you don't carry Pokéballs, then where are your Pokémon?"

There was a brief silence as Avery glanced around the bar. Ensuring that the coast was clear, the Old Man held his arm out over the table. A soft bell sound was heard as a live Chingling rolled out of his oversized sleeve and into his hand. The Psychic type seemed just as lethargic as its trainer, all the better that it didn't make any distracting noise.

"Perfect," Clove nodded, glancing over at their student waiter. "Alright, Kiryu, I've got an idea. First, I need you to go and butter up that kid over there."

"Wait, what?!"

"Flatter him, y'know?" Clove handed some money to a blushing Kiryu. "Give him this and ask him to do us a favor, okay?"

* * *

Shinji let the kitchen door shut behind him, carrying a tray of food in his left palm. He turned around just in time to meet face-to-face with a smiling Kiryu.

"Gah!" the male student nearly felt the soup on the platter fly out of its bowl. "Kiryu, I- does your table need something?"

"Hm? Oh, no," Kiryu tried to laugh airily in response, maintaining an innocent demeanor and turning up the charm. It felt disgusting. "Listen, Shinji, there's something I need to ask of you."

"Er, what is it? I'm not supposed to be talking to people I know on the job," the server tried to edge around Kiryu, but she not-so-discretely moved in his way. Channeling her inner Tula, the teen fluttered her eyelashes and pouted her lips to get what she wanted.

"Don't worry, it won't take long. My friends and I were wondering if you could send our regards to the table over there…"

* * *

A few minutes later, Kiryu returned with a successful confirmation. Their waiter, unable to resist a pretty face (or at least one desperately attempting to be), was currently en-route to the suspicious individuals, none the wiser to Clove and Kiryu's plan. The two pranksters and Avery were now nearly sitting on top of each other, waiting for Shinji to appear at the stalkers' table.

"Make sure you angle it away from the waiter," Kiryu said to Avery and his Pokémon, still hidden up his sleeve. "He's a nice kid," she felt a little bad about using her classmate for a joke and vowed to make it up to him some time.

"Is he going to say it's from us?" Clove could barely contain his excitement over the juvenile prank.

"If they've been watching us all night, they'll probably figure it out," currently, the two businessmen were shifting back and forth between their food and the booth, unable to get a clear view of the five friends through the mass of diners.

"This is stupid," Takumi said flatly, arms folded like a disappointed parent. Suki tried to look uninterested, but it was obvious that she was just as eager to watch the outcome as Kiryu and the others. She, along with everyone else, ignored Takumi as they waited for the server to approach the table of their admirers.

Finally, Shinji stepped out of the kitchen, this time with a wine bottle and two glasses for the businessmen. The two men gave their server a bewildered look upon his arrival, and Shinji could only flash a nervous smile. Kiryu, Clove and Avery all leaned forward in anticipation.

"Uh, here's some drinks," the waiter set the glasses down and bent over to fill them up, "courtesy of the ladies over there-"

With a flick of the wrist from its trainer, the Bell Pokémon gave a small chime and sent a weak psychic bolt at the bottle. The object flew out of Shinji's grasp, spilled its contents on the formal suits of the patrons and shattered on the floor. Half the restaurant stopped and turned to see what had broken, making the subsequent laughter from Kiryu's table, as well as Avery's "Mazel tov!" even more noticeable.

"Oh geez, I-I'm so sorry about that!" Shinji's face turned beet-red, clueless to what had happened. "Please, let me clean that up!" he grabbed a napkin, but the two businessmen abruptly pushed him out of the way and stood up, giving livid glares at Takumi, Kiryu and friends in their booth. Without a word to poor Shinji, the two stalkers stomped out of the restaurant without paying the bill, leaving their waiter to clean up the mess.

The entire table (barring Takumi) continued to snicker as the two men sent them one last glance, a combination of fury and nervousness at being found out, as they passed their booth. Suki covered her mouth to avoid smiling at the expense of Shinji, and Kiryu felt a bit of regret as well, but resolved to give her classmate a large tip as recompense.

The only mature person in the party looked back down at his now-cold food. "Congratulations, you've made complete jackasses of yourselves."

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Clove nudged the other two, "right, fellas?"

"Why do you think they kept staring at us, though?" Suki asked a bit more seriously. Admittedly, Kiryu was curious about the businessmen's motives as well.

"I suppose we'll never know," Takumi answered, still salty over the whole ordeal. However, the suspicious glint in his eye was not lost on his student. Even if he didn't show it, Kiryu got the impression that Takumi didn't believe the two men were just normal customers.

For now, though, the matter was dropped, and the evening went on without incident. Kiryu, Takumi, Suki and the others talked about everything from Pokémon, to politics to college escapades. From Takumi's idea to expand his private tutoring to the Old Man's advocacy against Pokéballs, the five friends genuinely enjoyed themselves and had a great time hanging out with one another. Together, they vowed to make the most of their holiday break, come hell or high water.

* * *

By around 8:30, the group had gathered outside of the restaurant and along one of the usual popular city blocks. People and Pokémon walked by in large groups under a dark, cloudy sky. It hadn't snowed in the past week, allowing road crews to keep the sidewalks clear, but the bitter cold remained. Everyone wore heavy coats to keep warm in the evening chill. Around them, most of the buildings were at least two stories high and retained the traditional flair that characterized most of Winterspring.

While the others continued to chat, Kiryu did a quick once-over of the street, looking for any suspicious figures. Neither of the two stalkers were anywhere to be seen, though they could easily be lost in the crowds of passerby. The teen noticed that her mentor had the same idea, so she met his eyes to ask if he saw anything. In response, Takumi silently shook his head in the negative. He didn't see any sign of the two, either.

Clove, on the other hand, was much too enamored with Suki to bother with anything else. The two of them were currently discussing their shared interest in music. Having already talked about Clove's marching band days, Suki brought up Kiryu's area of expertise. "Kiryu is a musician, too," she said to the Sinnohan. "She's been playing piano for years. Just the other day, she was playing for me."

"Don't flatter me, Suki," Kiryu said dryly, but appreciated the compliment nonetheless. "I haven't practiced in years. I can't even read sheet music anymore," a couple weeks ago, Suki had insisted that Kiryu give a demonstration on her keyboard. The former pianist ended up playing one of her mom's favorite songs by virtue of being one of the few tunes she still remembered by heart.

Regardless of her skill, Clove still seemed to be impressed. "That's fine, you never really forget how to play. We should totally start a band!" as he pumped his fists in the air, Kiryu wondered if the overgrown child ever ran out of energy. "Me, you and the Old Man! We can teach Suki how to play something, too. Not Takumi, though. He sucks."

"Perhaps in another lifetime," Avery said with a mysterious smirk.

"Sure, why not? Become a Rockstar? I don't have any other plans for the future," Kiryu smiled. Plans for the future? Now that was a scary thought. It was something that never crossed her mind previously, but maybe it was about time to start considering. Well, sometime soon, at least.

The gang walked down the length of the restaurant, avoiding a massive Tangrowth and its trainer coming the opposite way, and discussed their next move for the evening. Avery and Clove led the way, the black-haired Casanova walking backwards as a constant stream of nothing came from his mouth. Takumi and Suki stood shoulder-to-shoulder, just enough to hide their hands, clasped together, behind their backs. Kiryu yawned and followed the others, casually watching cars drive by on the city road.

"What's next on the agenda?" Avery allowed his Chingling into the open, the psychic type levitating slightly above his shoulder.

"Hopefully we'll find some place that serves shortcake," came the mumbling voice of Takumi. He was not pleased with the desert menu back at the restaurant.

"Holy crap, you're still complaining about that?!" Clove groaned back at him. "We'll just buy some on the way home for Pete's sake!"

"I would like that very much, thank you," the stoic professor smiled at his roommate while Suki giggled.

"Whatever," Clove dismissed. "Are we going bar hopping or what?"

"We'll be doing no such thing while- Hey!"

The group was just passing by an alleyway, partitioned between the restaurant and an adjacent office complex, when a woman burst out from within and nearly crashed into Takumi mid-sentence. The figure lowered her shoulder and rammed herself between the professor and Suki before running past them and down the street, not even stopping to apologize.

"Someone's in a hurry," the Old Man snarked while Takumi and Suki stopped themselves from toppling onto each other. Blushing profusely over almost falling into his female friend, Takumi seemed eager to put the matter behind him. He hastily pushed the group onwards without giving the rude woman a second thought. Kiryu was about to follow, when for the second time that evening, she caught something out of the corner of her eye.

She was standing in front of the alleyway, one of Winterspring's many sprawling backstreets that Kiryu was so familiar with. Along the wall of the sports bar were several trash cans and a dumpster, as well as a backdoor for patrons and staff to smoke outside. The door was now open, allowing cold air to blow into the building, and Kiryu had most definitely seen movement from behind the garbage cans. She decided to investigate.

Due to the strange events of the evening thus far, the teen believed that she had finally found their stalkers, hiding along the brick wall of the building. Spurred by indignation and anger, Kiryu was ready to give the two suited men a piece of her mind. Then she heard a pained moan ring out from the backstreet, and it occurred to her that the situation may be more serious than she'd realized.

Kiryu raced into the alley and behind the dumpster, hoping that she was just hearing things. She ran around the corner- and found herself in front of the crumpled heap of Shinji. The waiter was sprawled out on the concrete, mouth open in a silent cry for help, head surrounded by a small pool of blood.

Kiryu felt her face blanch and legs go weak as she off the urge to scream at the sight of her classmate lying on the ground. She could guess that Shinji wasn't dead, given the moaning, but that didn't mean that he wasn't seriously injured. She dropped to the ground to inspect the body and found a large gash on the back of Shinji's head. Maybe he got hit from behind?

"Oh my god," by this point, the other four had doubled back and stumbled on the scene. Suki's face also went white at the sight of the blood on the ground, while Clove's turned slightly green. Takumi and Avery stared grimly at the injured waiter.

"What happened?" Takumi's tone remained neutral, yet urgent.

"I found him like this," Kiryu tried to not let her voice shake as she focused on Shinji, slightly elevating his head. If Lin was good for one thing, it was teaching her sister how to handle first aid. "Someone pass me a cloth," she held a hand up without looking at the others. It was the Old Man who responded, quickly tearing off a piece of his oversized sleeve.

"Hold it on his head until the bleeding stops," Avery handed the piece to Kiryu. Not the most ideal equipment, but it would work. Kiryu firmly pressed the wound, which seemed to be less serious than it looked. At least, she hoped.

Avery was in the middle of ordering the other two to call an ambulance when Shinji groaned again, eyes slowly opening. "He's coming to!" Kiryu held Shinji's head down until she was sure that he was fully conscious. Thankfully, the waiter was soon able to stand on his own, and seemed to have no serious injuries, save for some blood loss.

Only after the boy was propped up against the wall could Kiryu and the others breath easily. The teen and Avery remained by his side whilst Clove excused himself to heave behind the dumpster, nauseated by the sight of blood and unafraid to show it. Ever vigilant, Takumi remained by the edge of the building, watching for any potential intruders. And searching for the most likely culprit.

"Thank goodness you're alright," Suki, still frozen in place and white as a ghost, managed to eek out.

"Ugh, thanks," the younger Burst Warrior continued to hold the rag to the back of his head, flinching at a severe headache. "Good thing you guys arrived when you did, thank you…"

"Do you remember what happened to you?" Kiryu was glad that her acquaintance wasn't seriously injured but was still deeply unnerved. Did all of this have something to do with those two creeps from earlier?

"I… Think I came out here for a break," Shinji squinted his eyes, struggling to remember. "I couldn't have been outside for more than a minute when someone hit me from behind."

"Did you see the perpetrator's face, or were you knocked out immediately?" Avery asked. Of course, he and the others had a good idea of who hit the student, but any detail would help. Slowly, Shinji shook his head.

"I didn't go under right away," he explained. "I fell on the ground, and I think I saw a woman standing over me. Blonde hair, maybe a green shirt. She hit me on the head, and then-" the boy's eyes widened, and a hand shot to his pocket. The three people surrounding him glanced at each other as Shinji's mouth fell open, suddenly very afraid. "-she took Knight…"

"Pardon?"

"My Samurott, his name is Knight… I can't find his Burst Heart!" Shinji patted down his pockets and searched the ground, looking for the blue stone. "I think someone stole it!" Instantly, the young protégé was upon them.

"Stolen?" Takumi swooped in like a hawk, causing everyone to jump at his sudden appearance.

"M-maybe-"

"Then there's no time to lose," With a flourish of his coat, the professor was out of the alley and speeding down the street.

Great, Kiryu initially thought, the tender vigilante is back once again. Then she realized that it was the perfect opportunity to pay Shinji back from earlier. After making sure that he was alright on his own, she was the first to follow in Takumi's footsteps. "Don't worry, we know who did this. We'll find her," Shinji's classmate reassured as she left. The other three were soon to follow, leaving the confused waiter alone, hoping that Kiryu's strange gang could pull through on his behalf.

Kiryu easily caught up to Takumi, who was purposely walking down the street, eyes darting around the area for the alleged thief. Any crowds gathered along the road were forced to part as the professor strode through, and Kiryu stuck close behind him, followed at a distance by Suki, Clove and Avery.

As eager as she was to catch Shinji's mugger, Kiryu wasn't exactly sure what Takumi was hoping to accomplish. "Do you really think you're going to catch up with that girl who ran away?" she questioned. "For all we know, she could've Bursted with Samurott and Aqua Jetted across the city."

"Not likely," the 22-year-old didn't slow his pace as he spoke. "The perpetrator couldn't have Bursted without us knowing. There was no flash of light near the crime scene."

Kiryu wasn't completely convinced. As the rest of the group caught up, she expressed her doubts to the fellow Burst Warrior. "You really think so? Are you even sure that she went in this direction?"

"…Not completely, no," Takumi grimaced at his own admission, "but call it a hunch."

Unsure of what to look for, Kiryu kept an eye out for anything unusual. They could all cover more ground if they Bursted, but that'd definitely catch the thief's attention. Kiryu also checked the streets for anything related to two particular businessmen. Maybe it was just a coincidence that Shinji got robbed, but she couldn't shake the feeling…

"There," Takumi interrupted her train of thought, pointing at a disturbance along the opposite sidewalk. Kiryu immediately spotted the source of the commotion: a blonde, female figure walking against the flow of the crowd, trying to push past pedestrians in quite a hurry. The woman noticed the group of five, recognized them from earlier and began shoving through the crowd even faster. Kiryu turned to her teacher, only to find a malevolent glint in his eye, a calculating predator locking onto his prey.

"Wait, hold on," Kiryu began to say. Were they completely sure that it was-

"Let's go kick her ass!" Clove shouted across the street at the woman. So much for the element of surprise. He and Takumi dashed off across the road towards her, causing a car to slam on the breaks to avoid hitting them. Clove made sure to slide across the vehicle's hood as he ran. This, of course, was enough to send the unfortunate female sprinting away even faster.

Kiryu mumbled something about the pot and kettle before taking off after them, followed closely by the Old Man and Suki. They found themselves in a full-on chase with the woman who stole Shinji's Burst Heart. That is, if she actually _did_ steal the Burst Heart.

On her part, the potential thief was able to maintain her distance from the pursuers, weaving in and out of crowds that were forced to scatter as five adults came sprinting down the block. Kiryu wanted to Burst with Liepard to outpace the blonde, but then she'd risk her opponent Bursting into something with a type advantage.

After covering several city blocks, their target began to lose steam. By the time she began to stumble along the pavement, Takumi and Kiryu knew that they'd eventually catch her. It was just a matter of time.

In a desperate bid to stop her pursuers, the woman grabbed a nearby magazine rack and shoved it to the ground. While Kiryu, Takumi and Clove leapt over the stand with little effort, the thief dove into another backstreet. Her disappearance was followed by a flash of light from inside. It seemed that she had finally decided to stop and fight.

Takumi held his arms out to the side, halting Kiryu and Clove. Avery and Suki eventually arrived soon after, much more winded than the three Burst Warriors. "Get your Burst Hearts and Pokéballs ready," the professor ordered. "Give her a chance to hand it over, then crush her weak Burst when she refuses." Takumi took Winter's Burst Heart from his coat, the others following suit behind him. The posse took a collective breath and strode into backstreet, ready to face the Burst Warrior inside.

Upon entering, Takumi was greeted by a conch shell lance pointed straight at his neck. Sure enough, his hunch was right on the money. The woman they had chased was now Bursted with the stolen Water type. The Samurott Burst kept her helmet aimed at Takumi's jugular, shakily trying to hold her ground against five other humans. The thief was noticeably struggling to maintain the Burst with Shinji's partner. Kiryu could practically see the Formidable Pokémon trying to break free of the woman, much like Mienshao had done to her. The girl in front of them must either not have any other Burst Hearts or be extremely desperate.

Takumi barely blinked over the pointed spear at his throat, nor did he bother to Burst with his Froslass just yet. "I have reason to believe that you stole that Samurott from one of my students. Return it immediately or face the consequences," he gave the usual half-hearted warning, using the spare time to analyze his opponent's capabilities.

"Drop the act!" the woman cried in a surprisingly flighty, panicked voice. "Get the hell away from me!" her arms, angled down toward the scalchops attached to her waist, shook visibly. Even under the helmet, it was clear that her eyes bugged out of her head like a cornered animal. To Kiryu, something seemed off. The woman sounded a bit too frightened for a person trying to stand up and fight. And her face barely seemed to register the professor's accusation. In fact, nobody in Kiryu's group expected such a frightened reaction from the thief, even with such odds stacked against her.

While Kiryu and company gave each other similarly perplexed looks, Takumi remained focused on the task at hand, taking her response as a refusal to back down.

"So be it," Kiryu's teacher began to lift his hand to activate his Burst Heart, but froze when the woman gave a furious, primal scream. Kiryu felt herself stumble backwards, having never heard such desperation in a battle cry before. The screech was accompanied by one of the Samurott's blades, headed straight toward Takumi's head. The swing was messy, though, and the unflinching protégé easily ducked under it with little effort.

The Water type swung her sword once more, even sloppier than before. Takumi sidestepped again, using the opportunity to bat the Samurott's horn away from his throat. The offhand strike from the human was enough to send the unstable Burst Warrior reeling backwards. Kiryu and Suki glanced at each other, unimpressed with the poor display. Despite the woman's wild screams and actions, it wasn't enough to overcome the lack of bond with Shinji's Pokémon. With no mutual connection with the Water type, she might as well fight without Bursting at all.

Forced to lean on her own Scalchop for support, the Samurott Burst's shoulders trembled greatly as she struggled to maintain the fusion. The girl raised her head, and Kiryu saw tears streaming down a hopeless face. The teen felt a pang of pity, even some relatability, with the thief. Takumi, meanwhile, lowered his Burst Heart, watching with mild interest.

One more violent shake, and it was already over. Shinji's Samurott returned to its Burst Heart, leaving the woman to stand alone, in the cold, on the brink of collapse.

Unbursted, the thieving girl was a haggard sight to behold. She was underweight, dangerously so: hitting Shinji with enough power to knock him out was an impressive feat for someone as thin as her. The only thing hiding the woman's clearly-visible ribcage was a tan tank top and camo pants, much too big for her scrawny frame. Kiryu guessed that she was about Takumi's age, but it was hard to tell given the unkempt appearance. Even her blonde hair was limp and scraggly, matching her wild eyes, now dim with tiredness. Overall, Kiryu wasn't quite sure what to make of the defeated opponent. Yet her reaction was nothing compared to that of Takumi.

Her mentor stared, openmouthed, at the female. Or more specifically, at the fang of some Dragon type tied around her neck. A look of genuine shock registered on Takumi's face as he fixated on it, and for a second Kiryu thought that he'd fall to the ground alongside the Unbursted thief.

"It can't be," Takumi whispered. Kiryu heard his breath catch in an instance of surprise... And fear. She and Takumi had been through some harrowing situations, but never before had she heard any trace of fear from the older protégé.

In the split second that the interaction occurred, the woman tilted forward, too weak to even stand upright. Rather than let a dishonorable thief fall, Takumi lunged forward and caught the woman before her head cracked against the ground. He kneeled and held the girl, practically cradling her in his arms, all the while staring at that dragon tooth necklace. Clove and Kiryu gave each other bewildered looks, unsure what exactly was happening in front of them. Standing behind the two, Suki's face fell slightly.

"Takumi," Kiryu started, "what's going on? Who is this?" she and the others crept forward to get a closer look, only to jump back as the woman's half-closed eyelids bolted open upon hearing Mr. Genji's name. Recognition flashed across her face, and it was shared by the man holding her.

"Y-you're… Takumi?" the woman breathed, looking up at him like a frightened child. Takumi nodded solemnly, then gasped as the lady's demeanor changed once again. Without warning, she grabbed Takumi by the scruff of his shirt and yanked him downwards to that their heads nearly collided.

"Listen to me!" the sudden cry of the wide-eyed girl caught everyone off-guard. Her words spilled out rapidly and uncontrollably, "You have to protect me! I-I didn't know where else to go, b-but I found out where you lived but they followed me here! _They followed me here and they're going to take me away you need to help me-_ _THEY'RE GOING TO KILL ME YOU HAVE TO…"_ her voice quickly fell into hysterics. She began screaming in Takumi's face, the grip on his clothes growing tighter and tighter. Clove initially moved in to help but fell back as she became more and more unhinged. None of the four friends had any idea what to do.

Takumi remained stone-faced as the woman cried and screamed. He tried to remain calm, though Kiryu could practically feel his patience thinning as the situation escalated. Finally, stopping just short of dropping her outright, Takumi clamped his hand over the woman's mouth. She gave a muffled scream, but it died down as the teacher hissed at her to be quiet. Once she had finally stopped, Takumi removed his palm and asked very simply, "Who followed you here?"

"…They've resurrected the experiment," the blonde answered faintly, adrenaline fading after the panicked outburst. "They've built some kind of portal and followed me here and, and… please, save me…" as the last of her strength was sapped, the woman passed out in the Burst Warrior's arms.

Obscuring hair and a stony expression couldn't hide the whiteness of Takumi's face as the words sunk in. He gently lowered the unconscious woman to the ground while his companions watched in silence. A thousand thoughts seemed to go through the man's brain, but he didn't dare share them with Kiryu or the others. Not yet. He remained crouched on the ground, staring blankly at the familiar figure from so long ago.

"Takumi, what's going on?" Avery was the first to speak up. "Who is this person?" The longtime friends of Mr. Genji looked about as clueless as Kiryu and Suki.

There was a long pause before Takumi acknowledged the question. Eventually, he stood up and turned towards the others, trying hard to retrieve his stern demeanor. "She's a childhood… 'acquaintance' of mine. I haven't seen her in years… Her name is Mitsumi," Kiryu peered around Takumi to take another look at the girl. She was definitely out cold, as if she hadn't slept in years. Kiryu wasn't even sure if she was breathing.

"What experiment was she talking about?" asked Suki, feeling about as distraught as Takumi looked.

"The experiment…" her coworker paused, as if unsure whether to answer at all. "…It has to do with Mitsumi and I. My father was involved, and he rescued us, but it's all so much bigger than you could possibly imagine," he cut himself off, leaving the others in the dark. Before anything else, Takumi had to consider his options.

He'd always known that the past would catch up to him eventually, but coming in the form of the desperate girl lying at his feet was a shock nonetheless. Takumi was thrust into a very real and very dangerous situation, tasked with protecting not only Mitsumi, but also the many residents of Winterspring City. The often-emotionless Burst Warrior looked back at the four people still waiting behind him- four individuals he'd grown to consider as his friends- and resolved not to be afraid. His father's enemies may have returned, but it would be the son of Genji to make the first move. Never give up, never surrender.

Making a private decision of his own, the vigilante switched to his normal, authoritative voice and addressed his companions directly, "Listen, I can explain all of this later. Right now, I have some unfinished business to take care of. Those two gentlemen that were watching us? They're heavily connected to this, and are much more dangerous than we realized," the rest of the group blinked at the claim.

"How so?" Kiryu asked. She may have had her suspicions about the two stalkers, but they weren't the ones who stole a Burst Heart. Why was Takumi defending the real culprit?

"I believe they were sent to kidnap Mitsumi," Takumi responded matter-of-factly. "Maybe they were also told to spy on us. Or maybe not, I don't know. The important thing is that we need to find them and get information."

"Does that mean we're busting some heads in?" Clove's enthusiasm did not seem to die down, even given the turn of events. Switching on a dime from confusion to excitement, he eagerly stepped up to his former roommate, grasping his Scizor's Burst Heart.

Takumi, unfortunately, let his friend's hopes down. "No, not tonight. I need you to take this woman and get her off the streets," he pointed at the unconscious thief in the alley. Clove looked a bit downcast that he wouldn't get to fight, but nodded as Takumi further ordered, "Protect her, and take the others with you. Avery, do what you can for Mitsumi."

"If you say so," Avery calmly walked away from a lost-looking Suki and went to pick up the woman. "I'll try my best," Next to the Old Man, Clove gave a mock-salute, only for Takumi to grab his wrist and lean down in his face.

" _And no funny business, do you hear me?_ For once, I need you to be serious," The sheer intensity of Takumi's glare caused the mirth to fade from Clove's expression.

"…Right," the Sinnohan gave another nod, still determined to help his friend in any way he could. Satisfied, Takumi next turned to his student and pupil.

"I'd rather not ask this of you," he said to a dubious Kiryu, "but you're the only other Burst Warrior here, and you know the city better than I do. I need to track down those two men from the restaurant."

Kiryu didn't know what to say. She appreciated the offer- really, she did- but things had gone from 0 to 100 way too quickly for her liking. She didn't like the way Takumi was acting, either. Seeing him so vulnerable was very unnatural, and he wasn't even willing to explain why.

The student was just about to demand for some kind of clarification when Takumi sighed. Sternly but not unkindly, he admitted, "Kiryu, you know I wouldn't ask for your assistance if it wasn't under extraordinary circumstances. Come with me and help me out."

"…Fine, sure," the teen finally acquiesced. If Clove could buckle down and act serious, then so could she. She trusted her former rival enough to come to his aid. But she was definitely owed an explanation afterwards.

Teacher and student waited to make sure that their companions left without an issue. Clove and Avery draped the unconscious female's arms over their shoulders to carry her to the hotel. The woman, Mitsumi, was now breathing somewhat easier but remained limp in their grasp. Suki followed behind, giving one last unsure glance behind her before parting. The look wasn't returned by Takumi, who was wordlessly scanning the city for any sign of the two men who had followed them.

"Once this is all over, we're going to have a lot of questions for you," Kiryu said to her teacher as the others disappeared from sight.

"I'm fully aware," Takumi responded simply. He took Winter's Burst Heart, still held in his palm, and Bursted with the Froslass. "Just don't complain if the answers aren't pleasant."

"And how do you expect us to find two people out of a thousand?" Kiryu asked, sensing that the evening would turn into a wild goose chase. There was no way they'd be able to cover more than a quarter of the city if they scanned the entire night, let alone scour it thoroughly. "Do you have any idea where they could've gone?"

"They most likely followed us until we learned of their true motive, but beyond that, I haven't a clue. That's where you come in, Miss Camilla," Takumi answered easily. Kiryu raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"Our two admirers will most likely try to escape in the fastest way possible. You're more familiar with Winterspring than I; what is the quickest way to get across the city?" Kiryu carefully considered the question. Takumi's deduction wasn't too unreasonable, though his assumptions could easily be proven wrong. Still, it was better than nothing. The former Alley Cat recalled some of her older friends' most common routes across the city.

"I suppose they could try and hide in the dockyards. Or, if they're headed for the bad side of town, there's an old trolley line they could follow that isn't too far from here," she said, and Takumi nodded in agreement. The cloud-covered sky cast a dark shadow on the Ice type's newly-determined face.

"Let us depart."

* * *

Just as predicted, the two men in grey suits were currently standing in front of the dark, gaping maw of a trolley tunnel. Tracks ran into the passage and then extended above the Winterspring's smaller buildings, providing a fast transport across the city. It was the quickest way to travel into the eastern slums, if one didn't have a car.

One of the supposed businessmen began to walk into the mouth of the tunnel, only to be held back by his partner. "Hold on," the second one said, moving into the tunnel's shadow and taking out his cell phone. "We can hide here, send the boss a status update."

"Fine, but make it fast," the other man's lungs still burned from running after the Samurott thief and her pursuers. He leaned on the concrete wall while his friend dialed their contact.

"Hello? This is Scope Lens," the boss's informant spoke in code. "We have a confirmed contact between test subjects A and B. We'll continue to monitor Genji and Haru's behavior and report in with further updates."

"Excellent," a canned female voice crackled over the other end of the line. "Before you continue surveillance, return to base. The Distortion Cannon has arrived, and we need manpower for transport. You'll be reporting to-" the agent could only blink in surprise as the phone was ripped from his hand by a high-speed Ice Shard. He and his partner whirled around to find the culprit levitating at the end of the tunnel, silhouetted by the city lights.

"I must apologize for my friends' earlier behavior," Takumi's eyes glowed malevolently with frozen energy. "Had I known your true motives from the beginning, I would have spoken to you face-to-face much sooner."

The two spies swore under their breath, then went for the Pokéballs at their waists. It was obvious that they recognized Takumi from the moment he revealed himself.

"Galvantula, Signal Beam!"

"Elygem, Psybeam!" the two Unovan Pokémon were released from their balls and immediately fired multicolored rays at the approaching Burst Warrior. With a flourish of his sleeves, Takumi responded with an Ice Beam, cold enough to freeze the air around him. The moves collided, and the powerful ice attack easily overcame both the Signal and Psybeam, pushing both moves back at their owners. The Ice Beam continued forwards and blasted the foe's Elgyem, knocking it out of the air and down the dark hallway.

From out of the icy mist came the Froslass Burst, flying at top speed directly toward the two Pokémon trainers. The equally fast Bug type managed to shoot out an Electroweb from its abdomen, aiming to trap Takumi before he got any further. That's when Kiryu made her appearance. From out of the shadows came the Liepard Burst, Night Slashing through the Electroweb in midair. The Dark type took the hit, wincing as electricity coursed through her body, but she successfully dispersed the web before it stuck to the ground.

Eyes narrowing, Takumi rocketed forward and launched a Shadow Ball at the Galvantula, blasting the heavy Pokémon into the air and leaving a clear shot at its trainer. The non-Burst Warrior could do nothing but duck and cover as Takumi appeared in front of him. Without a second thought, the Ghost type coldly raked his claws across the cowering man's face, knocking him to the side and leaving him lying there, limp, in the tunnel. Kiryu's eyes widened as her mentor delivered the devastating blow.

A dazed Galvantula scuttled toward the Snow Land Pokémon, only for Takumi to flip around and fire off another Ice Beam, knocking the spider onto its back. As its legs curled in submission, Kiryu cautiously edged towards Takumi, now silently floating above the battlefield. The darkness of the tunnel, combined with Winter's veil over his face, obscured the older man's expression. She could only make out Takumi's transformed eyes, stone-cold as they surveyed the fallen Pokémon.

But the battle wasn't over yet. "Elgyem, Teleport!" the second informant ordered the Psychic type, grabbing onto it to escape. Takumi and Kiryu acted immediately. The Froslass Burst flicked another Ice Shard at the two, hitting the trainer's hand and forcing him to let go of his Pokémon. Just as fast as Takumi, Kiryu dashed forward with Pursuit and slammed into the Elgyem before it could disappear. The Cerebral Pokémon's multicolored lights blinked out, fainting from the super effective hit.

The remaining conscious trainer knelt along the tracks, clutching his bleeding hand in pain. The shadow of Takumi hovered over him, hands balled into fists underneath the kimono. Seeing the livid Burst Warrior above him, the man's face paled as he stumbled to his feet and tried to run down the tunnel. Takumi effortlessly picked him up by his collar, turned him around, and slammed him into the concrete wall. "Enough games."

"S-sure, M-Mr. Genji," the captive spy whimpered, unable to hide his fear. "L-let's be reasonable, here… I'll tell you anything you need to know," Kiryu watched with growing concern as the Ice type's claws tore through the man's shirt. For now, though, she stood idly by.

Takumi snorted in derision at the man's plea bargain. "You weak, spineless worm, willing to give away information so easily," very slowly, the Ghost type's grip shifted from the man's collar to his neck. Kiryu blinked at the unexpected cruelty of Takumi, and the dangling spy's breath quickened as a frozen hand closed around his throat.

"Takumi, what're you…" Kiryu's voice faltered as her former rival learned toward the spy, glowing eyes narrowing in the darkness.

"You don't have to tell me a damn thing," the Burst Warrior hissed as his captive gasped for air. "Everything you could tell me, I already know. Why you're here, who you're working for, your boss's experiment… Your cowardice means nothing to me."

"P-please," the captive rasped, his throat constricted by Takumi, who ignored him. Frost crawled up the Ice type's arm and onto the face of the struggling man as the Burst Warrior squeezed tighter. Even as the stalker's voice broke and face began turning blue, Takumi still didn't let go.

Kiryu wanted to tell Takumi to stop choking the poor guy, but words failed her each time she laid eyes on her mentor. Just a half hour earlier, Takumi seemed more scared than she had ever seen him, and now he was unconcernedly choking a man to death… Under the veil, Kiryu made out the shadow of a _smile_ on Takumi's mien. Yet his voice wasn't sadistic- to her, it sounded more like righteous anger.

When Takumi's eyes glowed a light, freezing blue, Kiryu knew he was coming unhinged. The only time she'd seen that uncontrolled power before was when he Blizzarded an entire house. And now it looked like he was about to do it at point-blank range.

"Takumi!" Kiryu broke from her stupor and ran at Takumi, grabbing his arm. The Froslass's head whipped around toward Kiryu, and the teen fully expected to have her head blown off by an Ice Beam. Still, she wasn't about to let Takumi go off the rails like before. For her own sake, and for her friend's wellbeing, Kiryu knew that she had to calm him down.

Heart racing, she gently held him back and pleaded, "C'mon, let him go… I don't want to see anyone else get hurt by us," it was all she could think to say.

For a tense second, Takumi continued to stare at the girl with glowing, unfeeling eyes, waiting for her to break and back off. Kiryu held her ground, though, and prayed that her words would knock some sense into the Burst Warrior. Finally, a look of understanding passed over Takumi's veiled face, and the cold power welling up inside began to fade. "…Perhaps I got carried away," he returned to his usual monotone, with a slight touch of humility. His grip loosened on the man against the wall, allowing him to take a desperate gasp for air.

Kiryu realized that she had been holding her own breath and let out a sigh of relief to prevent herself from collapsing. Beyond frightened, she was a bit disturbed by her teacher. The man she had shared a drink and a laugh with not an hour earlier had just knowingly strangled somebody. The night that she had torn his scarf was the only time Kiryu had seen him act so crazy, but choking a man to death wasn't just some moment of passion. If Takumi became so unhinged over a scarf, what had these guys done to make him act like this?

The spy was unceremoniously dropped to the ground. As the man struggled to breath, the Froslass Burst continued to hover above him. Takumi wasn't quite through with him just yet.

"Listen to me very carefully," the vigilante glared down at the injured man below him, "I didn't track you down for information. I want you and your lackey to carry on a message:" Takumi pointed a threatening claw at him. "Tell your leader that Mitsumi is off-limits. As long as I'm breathing, you won't lay a finger on her ever again," his voice rose while the spy nodded, trying to stand on shaky legs. But Takumi wasn't finished. He swooped down into his victim's face and forced him back onto the ground. "If your organization wants a test subject for their sick machines, then you can come for me. Send all the weak men you have. I'll be waiting for them."

"We weren't… Sent to capture you…" Takumi's victim struggled to speak, sounding gravelly and strangled. It didn't faze the Burst Warrior in the slightest.

"I don't care what you want from me," this time, Takumi did smile. A confident, challenging smile, a bit too wide for its own good. "I've been training my entire life for this moment, and I won't be taken by your weak boss or his weak underlings," the Snow Land Pokémon formed a small ball of ice in his palm, then smashed it with the other. "I will _crush_ your organization and anyone who stands with you. Take that to your leader and get the hell out of my sight."

The man in the suit didn't need to be told twice. He stumbled to his feet as fast as he could and went to his unconscious partner. Soon, one was dragging the other down the tunnel and into the darkness. Takumi watched them leave without remorse. He took a deep breath and sighed. Silently, he vowed never to take leave of his senses again.

"Uhh…. Takumi?"

The Froslass Burst turned toward Kiryu, who was holding the informant's fallen cell phone. She had found the device still blinking with life and picked it up, searching for some sort of answer to the night's events. What the teen found only served to confound her further.

Without a word, Takumi Unbursted and walked over to Kiryu, peering at the small words that shined on a cracked screen. Kiryu had pulled up the caller ID and looked at the address of the previous conversation, cut short by Takumi's Ice Shard. The first log on the phone simply read:

 _Infinicorp- Research and Development_

Takumi read the name of the company without emotion. Kiryu stood a cautious arm's length away from the Burst Warrior and waited for an explanation. Why was the most powerful company in the world keeping tabs on her Physical Education instructor?

The 22-year-old shook his head slowly. The name confirmed every suspicion he had had over the course of the evening. Indeed, over the course of fourteen years.

"Miss Camilla…" the student looked up at her friend, preparing for an answer- then cried out as he knocked the phone out of her hand and onto the tunnel rails. The device was then snapped in two by the heel of Takumi's shoe and crushed into the ground.

"…I believe it's time you learned who my father really was."

* * *

 **Okay, okay, I know what you're thinking. "You told us you wouldn't go over the 11,000 word mark again!" to which I say... Shut up.**

 **But that's not the only thing I've been untruthful about. Some of you may have noticed the genre change in the story information. This was an intentional change, planned from the start. Consider this author's note a warning that the story will be taking a more serious turn in tone and theme, coinciding with the original roleplay from 2012. I probably won't change the story genre again (unless they bring back "Action, and they really should) but you can still expect many more surprises to come, even for my readers already familiar with the story.  
**

 **On a lighter note, I'd like to thank Deviantartist NightDaemon for making a new cover image for the story! You apparently dropped off the internet in 2014, so I'll just wish you good luck and hope that you don't sue me one day.** **As always, make sure to leave a review!**


	14. The Boxer

Not a word was exchanged between Kiryu and Takumi as they flew back to Clove's apartment. Well, "flew," in the sense that Takumi got to hover above the ground in his Froslass Burst. Kiryu was forced to sprint behind the flying Pokémon as they made their way across Winterspring City.

The girl in the Liepard Burst didn't know what to make of what had just transpired. The revelation on the cell phone had left her completely dumbstruck. Infinicorp hired those two thugs?! Kiryu was no corporate shill, but she found it hard to believe that the largest conglomerate in the world was tracking a couple of random Burst Warriors. Since she was a child, the tech company had been continually building Winterspring into the metropolis it was, today. Heck, her brother was a receptionist for the corporation! No, the name she saw on that phone couldn't have been right. She would need much more evidence to be convinced, and the burden of proof fell squarely on…

Kiryu stole a glance at the Ice type beside her. Takumi hovered onwards in silence, expression back to an unfeeling monotone. He had advised Kiryu to remain Bursted with her Pokémon and to not draw attention to herself. All for fear of an attack from "the enemy." She recalled what Takumi had said to the suited man in the tunnel, about kidnappings and sick experiments. Yet the person chasing after random bystanders and nearly choking people to death… Was Takumi Chikao Genji.

Typically, Kiryu's mind was firmly set in reality. She had never been bothered by an overactive imagination or nightmares. Yet as she gazed at the cold eyes of her professor, the teen couldn't help but picture them staring back at her with an icy chill, ready to freeze her head solid before crushing it utterly. She saw claws, splattered with blood, digging into her skin, shifting upwards towards her neck… Ugh, best not to think about it. She had forgotten how dangerous her mentor could be.

The late hour had caused the streets to thin, though the city was still alive and bustling with tourists, late-night workers and Academy students staggering from one neon bar sign to another. For the two Burst Warriors, there was an unspoken fear that every corner, every dark alley that they passed, could hold another unconscious body or shady informant. Even Takumi seemed visibly wary as they progressed, gaze darting between passerby, backstreets and the occasional Hoothoot flying overhead. The sooner they got to Clove's place, the better.

It was almost midnight by the time Takumi and Kiryu reached their destination. The building, itself, was nothing spectacular. Clove had described his temporary residence as a hotel, but it was much closer to an average motel or condominium. A large pile of plowed snow sat in front of the mostly empty parking lot, and the rooms, themselves, were only reachable via individual doors from the outside. All the easier to sneak in an unconscious Samurott thief, for better or worse.

Takumi and Kiryu Unbursted, then trudged up the steps and across the second-floor balcony. Clove was waiting for them outside on a bench and gave a relieved grin upon their arrival. Hopefully his unconcernedness boded well for the Mitsumi girl inside, Kiryu thought. She also made a mental note to talk to Clove about a certain someone's behavior she had witnessed.

"How is she?" Takumi demanded almost immediately. If Clove noticed the curtness in his roommate's voice, he didn't show it.

"The Old Man thinks she'll be fine," he answered. "Says that she only passed out from trying to Burst while malnourished, or something. Now that you're here, we can go inside now," he opened the door for the two. To the younger female, Clove gave a reassuring wink, "How's it going, kid?" For once, Kiryu was happy to be treated like a child, if it meant that someone else was being an adult and taking tonight's burden off her shoulders.

Inside, the suite was clean, if fairly mundane. The main living area was decent sized, and it directly connected to two side rooms that served as a bathroom and kitchen. It was set up for tourists, not unlike the condos used for beach vacations. Two beds took the place of a couch in the living area, one of which was occupied by the mysterious Mitsumi.

The woman was still asleep, though not very soundly. Sunken cheeks, thin hair and cold, clammy skin were clear signs of long-term malnutrition. Every few minutes, the girl would shudder and start twitching in her sleep: whether it was due to night terrors or her health was unclear. She would eventually settle down after Avery methodically replaced the damp cloth on her forehead. The older medical student remained fully engrossed in his work as he tended to Mitsumi, surrounded by some standard first-aid tools. Behind him, Suki leaned on the wall and acted as his assistant whenever he needed a thermometer or a new towel.

Both attendants looked up as the others entered, but Takumi paid them no heed. He made a beeline for the sleeping Mitsumi and stood over her, looking down at the dragon tooth necklace, still hanging around her neck. Seeing her hollow face in full-view, Kiryu could tell that the woman must've looked very pretty at one point, and could only guess at what had caused Mitsumi to turn so frail and weak. Avery stood up from a nearby stool and gave Takumi some space.

"She isn't gravely injured," he reported, "but she's in poor health. Underfed and sick, she looks like she hasn't had a decent meal in months. She shouldn't have tried Bursting at all in that condition," the Old Man's medical opinion only deepened Takumi's frown.

Without removing the string around her neck, the protégé picked up the tooth and leaned down to get a better look. He flipped the bone multiple times in his hand, as if trying to find some flaw, any flaw, that proved it wasn't real. Eventually he fell back on the adjacent bed and gave a deep sigh, face in his hands. Guess he didn't find anything.

"I know what you're all waiting for," Takumi finally acknowledged the four pairs of eyes locked onto him. Lifting his head up, he gave the others a tired glare and ordered, "Just give me a few minutes with her. Let me get my thoughts straight. After that, I'll explain everything."

"I should keep looking after her," Avery said, sitting back down on the opposite side of Mitsumi. Takumi nodded distantly at the suggestion, already lost in the clouds once again. Kiryu didn't want to leave, either. Considering how frightened Mitsumi acted a couple hours ago, the first thing she sees upon waking shouldn't be Takumi's trademark glare. Before Kiryu could do anything, however, a hand wrapped around her own and pulled her towards the door.

"Sounds good," Clove said to an unhearing Takumi with a thumbs up, "Kiryu and I will go keep watch, make sure we don't get ambushed by deadly ninja assassins."

"Wait, I don't-" the teen protested, but it was too late. She groaned as she was dragged around once more, at least happy for an opportunity to talk to Clove about his roommate's behavior.

* * *

Outside, Kiryu and Clove were greeted by Summer and Winter, left on the balcony by Takumi to keep watch for any "intruders or agents of the enemy," whatever that meant. The Roserade and Froslass stood silently at the door while the two humans sat on a nearby bench. The hustle and buzz of the city nightlife was now over, as more and more businesses shut their doors and turned off their lights for the evening. Nobody walked around the parking lot or sidewalk adjacent to the motel. The feeble cries of urban Pokémon rang out through the city, alongside the distant beep of a car alarm. Ah, the sounds of home.

Kiryu shivered in the winter chill. She clutched her arms for warmth and tried not to visibly shake, all the while wondering where that annoying high-pitched sound was coming from. As it turned out, the source was none other than an equally annoying Clove sitting at her side. Despite all that had happened in one night alone, the boy casually whistled a tune without a care in the world. Kiryu couldn't help but interrupt the sing-along.

"You seem awfully jovial."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Clove answered easily. Kiryu at least expected him to follow up on a sentence like that, but her companion simply smiled and went back to whistling. The teen rolled her eyes.

She wanted to confide in Clove about Takumi but wasn't sure how to go about doing it. Did Clove even know about his best friend's darker side? In the end, Kiryu settled on not-so-subtly probing for information.

"Hey, Clove," she started carefully, "Can I talk to you about Takumi?"

"Sure, what's up?" the dark-haired male stopped whistling and turned toward his younger friend, propping a foot up on the bench.

"I… Well…" Kiryu paused, trying to figure out how to put her question gently. "…Have you ever seen Takumi act irrationally or violent in the past?"

"Violent? Psh, all the time!" Clove grinned. "Why'd you ask? Is he being a dick toward the students again?" he chuckled at himself, while Kiryu tried to hide her frown. She needed Clove to take her concerns seriously, and it wasn't working out so far. Maybe the only way to get her thoughts across was to explain the whole situation.

So she did. "No, it's not that," Kiryu said firmly. "Listen, after you guys left…" she briefly went over the events in the trolley tunnel and the way Takumi had acted. How he had threatened to kill the one informant, then nearly followed through on it. She mentioned Takumi's cold, glowing Froslass eyes, revealing the same power he had shown the night of the party. And she told Clove how she had stopped Takumi from attacking, risking her own life in the process.

Clove listened with a straight face, nodding slowly as he considered the teen's take on events. At first, it seemed like he fully understood Kiryu's concerns over her teacher. "Well, I've never seen him act as crazy as _that,_ " he responded to her initial question about Takumi's anger, "and it's good that you stopped him when you did. But Takumi's always had quite a temper on him. He likes to act like he doesn't care about anything, but the guy can really explode if you get him mad enough. I tried to tell him that he wasn't good with kids, too."

"So I've noticed," Kiryu commented flatly, then asked a more serious question, "but you don't think he acted irrationally when he questioned that guy?"

Clove waffled on his answer, moving his hand up and down like a scale. "Weeelll… Maybe a little bit, but keep in mind that we don't know the full situation. I don't want to rush to judgement just yet, y'know?"

"But Takumi didn't know the full situation either," Kiryu pointed out. "He couldn't have been sure that those shady guys were the ones who hurt that Mitsumi chick, right?"

Clove merely gave a nonchalant shrug in response, and Kiryu sighed. She had hoped for a little more insight from Takumi's closest pal, but apparently Clove had enough faith in his friend to look over his transgressions. Maybe he knew Takumi well enough to believe that he could overcome his outbursts. Kiryu wasn't like that. She had trouble putting faith in even her closest friends, and she'd only just started trusting Mr. Genji.

A light snow, the first in several days, began to fall while the two waited outside.

"…How'd you meet him?"

"Hm?"

"Takumi. How did two end up becoming such good buddies?" Kiryu gave a slight smile. The question might've been out of left field from Clove's perspective, but it had been bugging the teen from the moment she'd met him. "I mean, you and Takumi aren't exactly the most likely friends. Takumi's so closed off, and you're so… irritating," Kiryu's own relationship with Takumi had been so contrived, she couldn't imagine how Clove ended up becoming Takumi's closest chum.

Fortunately, Clove took the comment in good humor. He chuckled, "It's quite the mystery, isn't it? To tell the truth, it was pretty much a coincidence at first. Takumi just happened to be the guy I randomly chose to mess with," Hm, not as insane as Kiryu had expected. Clove put on a reminiscent grin, "From there, we just ended up partnering up for projects and talking to each other. I think we make a good match, though. Both of us being Burst Warriors definitely helped. Takumi probably appreciated how well we could tag battle together."

"Oh yeah?" Takumi being able to work with any partner seemed like an outrageous concept. Kiryu recalled the first time she was forced to battle alongside him, mostly an exercise in frustration. Only after training with him for months could she figure out how to support the protégé's fast-paced technique. "What makes you such a great match?" Clove gave another shrug.

"Dunno if I can explain it, myself," he admitted. "Did Takumi teach you all about his 'spiritual link' with Pokémon? Well, I think the same thing applies to Burst Warriors. We've just got the bond, and we're like a couple of tennis players out there," Kiryu propped her legs up on the bench, holding them to her chest, and listened. Clove continued, "When you're in a double Burst battle, it doesn't matter how good you are individually, if you don't work well with your teammate."

"Did you train all day with Takumi, too?"

"Oh yeah, you could say I was his first guinea pig when it came to teaching," he laughed. "If you've got the link with Takumi, then you can really learn a lot from him. Taking the time to train with someone, human or Pokémon, lets you really get to know 'em," Kiryu supposed that Clove was right. Even if she wasn't sold on Takumi's spiritual bond theory, it was true that she and her Pokémon were much closer, and it translated on the battlefield. You can't argue with results.

"But yeah, Takumi tried to show me everything he knew, and he was one of the few people to put up with me," Clove reminisced. "In return, I think I helped him mellow out a bit, he was always so high-strung. His dad died the year before we met, so he still wasn't over that," he added, a bit more solemnly. The sixteen-year-old nodded, cheek resting on her knees. She knew how Mr. Genji must've felt after losing a loved one. It gave her a newfound respect for Clove, helping him during such a rough patch in his life.

A strong gust of wind whistled across the balcony, blasting the onlookers with a flurry of snow. Kiryu and Clove huddled together, shielding their face from the biting chill and blowing into their hands for warmth. Just a few feet away, Winter and Summer were completely unaffected. Standing stock-still, like royal guards, the two Pokémon continued to stand by the door with complete indifference. Not a muscle moved on their bodies, save for the Froslass's kimono and Roserade's cape, billowing in the wind.

"Speaking of Takumi's dad," Clove said lowly, trying not to catch their attention, "did you know that those two originally belonged to him?"

"He might've mentioned it," Kiryu vaguely remembered a speech by Takumi about his bond with Summer and Winter. The link with them wasn't as strong as his father's was, or something like that. Takumi was only so adept with Ragune because they had worked together since childhood.

"In all the years I've known Takumi, I've never seen those two even crack a smile. Pretty creepy right?" Kiryu said nothing as she looked at Takumi's partners. Neither one acknowledged them. They maintained a focused, almost robotic stare off into the distance, waiting for potential intruders. Clove was right; she'd never seen either Winter or Summer show any emotion, or even appear outside of their Burst Hearts unless it was absolutely necessary. What kind of man trained his Pokémon like that?

In just a few short minutes, she was about to find out.

* * *

Takumi sat hunched over on the bed, staring blankly at his shoes. He was acutely aware of the other two people in the room watching him, waiting for him to spill his life story and reveal everything. This was why he hated people. He used to try so hard to push them away, but maybe he'd gotten careless. Now there were four of them wrapped up in this mess, put in just as much danger as himself and Mitsumi.

Of course, that was precisely why Takumi had to explain his past to them. Despite his best efforts, the Sinnohan's companions were about to become a part of his family's struggle, whether they wanted to or not. An explanation was the least he could do to help them prepare.

Still facing the floor, Takumi eyed the conscious humans in the room. Suki watched him almost desperately, silently pleading that he let them know what was happening. The Old Man didn't fare much better, sending his friend several concerned glances. Then Takumi turned toward the sleeping Mitsumi. She was strong enough to evade her captors and track him down in Winterspring, yet she looked weak enough to pass away at any second, never waking up from an exhausted sleep.

The sight of the unconscious woman steeled Takumi's resolve. These people were owed more than an explanation; they were owed protection from the demons of his past. The burden was placed solely on Takumi to keep his friends safe, whether it be preparing them for the coming storm or destroying the threat himself. It's what his father had done for him, after all.

"Avery, bring them inside."

* * *

Now the four stood in front of him. Avery and Clove, who he'd known for years, alongside Kiryu and Suki, who he'd just recently met. None of them had an inkling of Takumi's history- he'd never given them the opportunity to learn it. Their body language ranged from an expectant tap of the foot (Kiryu) to nearly shaking in distress (Suki). A weaker man might've hoped that his friends had gathered around to help him. A weaker man might've prayed that they wanted to be there for him in his time of need… Takumi tried not to be that man.

"Take a seat," Takumi began. "This may take a while," he remained standing while the rest of the group pulled up chairs or leaned on the empty bed. Mitsumi, fully stabilized, was left alone while everyone else gathered around Mr. Genji. The single lamp cast a dim glow over the apartment, hiding the vigilante in shadow. Summer and Winter remained outside. The streetlights created two motionless silhouettes in the single window.

"If you don't wish to be involved from this point on, you are free to leave. I won't stop you," one final warning before disclosing it all. He tried to set an example for the others. Takumi refused to be weak and run away from his problems like a frightened Ponyta.

"It's our hotel room, _you_ should be the one to leave," predictably, Clove was the only one in the group at ease about the situation. He laid back on the headboard and stretched out on the comforter.

"I'm not leaving," Kiryu spoke for herself, sitting backwards on one of the chairs. "You promised to spill the beans, so do it. I want to hear why you attacked those two guys, and why they were contacting Infinicorp."

Takumi nodded. "Understandable," he didn't object to his student listening in, especially after what she had seen. He started pacing across the room, getting in to rhythm and letting the memories flow. "How much do you all know about the Infinicorp Conglomerate?"

"It's a tech company, right? The raven-haired female said hesitantly. "They got big by inventing a bunch of things, and they perform services for people," what she said was an understatement. Infinicorp was known for its bafflingly large variety of products, services and projects. From an online shopping website to its own brand of Pokéfood, Infinicorp did it all. Kiryu tried to picture the old commercials she'd seen as a kid, "They're based in… Unova, right? Somewhere around Virbank City-"

"They're _currently_ based in Unova," the Old Man corrected from the corner of the room. "It wasn't always that way. Their headquarters used to be in Eterna City. I would always protest there back in the day," the information was confirmed by an affirmative nod from Takumi. "There was some kind of disaster in the higher-ups, and the entire operation got moved to Unova."

"It's run by the Masuku Brothers, isn't it?" Clove asked, about as well-versed on the subject as Kiryu. "Wayne and, uh… Otori Masuku, I think," they all knew that Otori was always the one who appeared on television as the face of the company. His brother's position as co-CEO was a little more ambiguous, though.

"They took it over from their father," Takumi explained. "Akio Masuku was the founder of Infinicorp, but he wasn't the only one running things. Behind the scenes, several of his compatriots acted as an 'inner circle' for the company…" the man nearly flinched at what he was about to say next. It went against his very nature to do what he was about to do, but alas… "My father was one such member."

His audience showed a mixture of surprise and confusion. The fact that Takumi's father was once a higher-up of Infinicorp was certainly an unexpected development, but there was no context behind it. Of course, Takumi didn't expect them to understand the relevance of his father's position. Not yet, at least.

The only exception to the bewildered looks was Kiryu, who barely stopped herself from smacking her own forehead. The night Takumi had so pompously introduced himself, she _knew_ she had heard his name before! Now it all came flooding back.

A twelve-year-old Kiryu had to be picked up from school by Chao. As was commonplace, her brother had forgotten his binder at work, and was forced to backtrack with her to Infinicorp's marketing office. Waiting in the lobby and bored out of her mind, the young Camilla began reading the golden plaque on the wall. It listed the contributors to Infinicorp's original founding. "Genji" was among the dozen names on the plaque, but she'd never thought to retain the information in case she met his progeny four years later.

She was about to mention the story as an aside but was beaten to the punch by Avery, "So your dad was a corporate puppet for a tech company. What does that have to do with Mitsumi?" the Old Man earned a glare for his choice of words.

"Before it relocated to Unova, Infinicorp was not always a technology corporation," Takumi corrected. Closing his eyes for a brief second, he readied himself for the forthcoming explanation. At long last, it was time to disclose his father's former life. "Perhaps it would be better if I explained in detail…"

* * *

"Infinicorp formerly specialized in biology research. On the surface, at least. Behind the scenes, they had a special interest in powerful Burst Warriors. Director Masuku was one himself, and he recruited only his strongest peers onto the board of Directors."

 _An enormous bay window looked down on the plain, traditional buildings of Eterna City and the dense forest beyond. A tall man with jet black hair and stern brown eyes sat in front of a desk, writing his name onto a lengthy contract. Watching from across the table was another massive man, broad shoulders barely contained in a pinstripe suit. He smiled slightly as his newest partner signed his way onto the executive board. Once the contract was filled and the pen was placed down, the two individuals stood and sealed the deal with a firm handshake._

"The official corporation was merely a front, and a means to fund Masuku's true intentions. He didn't lust after money or fame. Rather, he wished to create the ultimate Burst Warrior, equipped with only the strongest Pokémon imaginable. He assembled a team of powerful fighters… With the final goal of capturing a Legendary Pokémon."

"What?!"

"O-oh!"

"…"

"Are you kidding?! No one's ever caught a Legendary before!"

 _The two men now balanced on a rowboat along the banks of Lake Acucity. Two members of their small team rowed toward the barren, mist-coated island at its center, struggling to push through choppy waters and hunks of ice. With each stroke the fog deepened, until only the very edge of the island coast was visible from the boat. After taking their turns stepping onto the rocky shore, the two men led the way into a small cavern entrance- only to be met with a bright flash of light, the silhouette of a fairy-like creature, and a rough awakening in the Snowpoint Pokémon Center._

"You are correct, Miss Camilla, but that didn't stop Akio and my father from trying. Many times, they were on the brink of catching, linking or subduing with a Legendary beast, only to be overwhelmed by sheer primal force, often at a great cost. After so many failures, Infinicorp's leader began searching for 'alternative solutions.'"

 _A familiar Roserade Burst was nearly blown away by gale-force winds and a downpour of rain that pelted the bow of a large ocean liner. Unperturbed by the weather, the Burst Warrior intently watched the gigantic waves crash below the ship, waiting to catch sight of the red glowing lines that outlined the monstrous Pokémon they were currently chasing. Several Grass and Electric type Bursts stood at his bidding, clinging to the side of the ship and preparing to release their paralyzing moves once the monster breached. He remained steady as the Pokémon's back, nearly as big as the ship, rose out of the water. The man then swore as the red glow reappeared under his boat- it had swum directly below them. A massive Water Spout erupted through the hull, tearing it cleanly in two and sending half of the crew flying into the air, only to splatter into the black waters below._

"Eventually, Masuku returned to his own company's roots. If he couldn't find a Burst Warrior strong enough to control a Legendary, maybe he could make one."

 _The man, this time in a Froslass Burst, cringed as he was lifted off his feet by an enormous bird Pokémon in an ice-filled cavern. He was nearly impaled by the Flying type's claws as it took off toward the rocky cliffside of the cave. In its other talon was the man's longtime partner, Bursted with his Skarmory and equally helpless. The bird, its wingspan exceeding a small building, chose the Steel type as its victim, and slammed him onto the wall. Together they glided across the length of the cavern, creating a sickening screech as the metal bird was grinded to a pulp. After thoroughly torturing the two Burst Warriors long enough, the Legendary Pokémon lifted them up towards its head and prepared to end the battle with an Ice Beam. His companion knocked out, the Froslass Burst was left alone to wait for the finishing blow. The bird was distracted, however, by a Salamence Burst, the last remaining ally, biting the Flying type's neck and grappling the beast. Its talons dropped the two Burst Warriors, allowing one to barely drag the other out of the cave as massive stalactites fell from the ceiling. They helplessly watched as the Salamence Burst received an Ice Beam to its vulnerable underbelly, just as the entrance was sealed shut for the final time._

* * *

Takumi's audience was stupefied. Hearing that his father was an Infinicorp executive was already enough to send them into stunned silence, and each revelation caused their eyes to widen further, their mouths to fall closer to the floor.

The son of a Legendary Pokémon hunter? He might as well have claimed that his father was the Champion. At least there was one per region; Legendary Hunters didn't make up half that amount. _Surviving_ an encounter with a Legendary was a feat and a half, let alone battling or capturing one. Any instances of a humans controlling such a creature were limited to folklore and long-forgotten mythology.

"…What kinds of Pokémon were your father searching for?" Avery asked. He, alongside the others, literally sat on the edge of his seat, face filled with a combination of shock, awe and disbelief. Takumi stood in front of them all, maintaining his stern persona. Unbelievable as it was, he'd never been known to lie to them before.

"Any Legendary they could track down, they went after," The term, "legendary," was a very broad title for any extremely strong Pokémon. The average specimen ranged from a large, destructive wild animal to Pokémon with godlike powers, worshipped by civilizations of old.

"Even if they were able to pin down a Legendary, they'd never be able to control it," Kiryu remained the skeptic of the group. Takumi didn't blame her. He even felt a modicum of pride that his student had picked up on the most obvious flaw in their scheme.

"Precisely, and Masuku realized this very quickly," the teacher said. "A Burst Warrior is only as strong as the bond he shares with his Pokémon, and Legendary Pokémon tend to treat humans like insects. It's what makes them so dangerous," at least, that's what Takumi had read. "If one could even survive the Bursting process with a Legendary, their full potential would never be realized without incredible strength on the part of the Burst Warrior. That's where Mitsumi and I came in."

The captive crowd leaned forward with anticipation. It was the moment they'd been waiting for.

"As I said, Infinicorp studied biology. They specialized in genetics. Despite his mad ambition, Masuku was a brilliant man in the field. His research led him to believe that the strength of a Burst Warrior could be passed down through genes… And luckily for him, he had gathered the perfect breeding ground to test his theory," Takumi put on a thin smile, reaching the hardest part of his own life story.

"Mitsumi and I were the result of Infinicorp's experiments."

The information didn't click at first. The experiments of what? Everyone look at Takumi blankly, until his pupil finally put two and two together.

"So… You and Mitsumi were born…" Kiryu's face paled as the revelation sunk in.

"Born and raised to control a Legendary Pokémon, and be used as pawns by Akio Masuku, yes."

Takumi let it all sink in. A family brought a child into the world based on the whim of an insane businessman. It was not an easy pill to swallow. Takumi hadn't quite managed to do it, himself.

One by one, though, his companions realized the full implication of what Takumi was telling them. Suki stared blankly in shock, while Avery settled for a disappointed shake of the head. All of them gave the teacher a look of deep disgust. Takumi knew the revulsion wasn't aimed at him. They just didn't want to believe his tale to be true.

"That's insane… I guess that CEO didn't tell you guys to believe in yourself, huh?" Clove offered up a weak quip.

"Apparently not," Takumi answered evenly. "Masuku was vehement that only the perfect genes would create a Burst Warrior capable of fusing with a Legendary. He allowed his inner circle to find equally capable partners, and their offspring would be trained to Burst with whichever Legendary Pokémon they could obtain."

The Old Man let out a deep sigh, looking more and more like his namesake. He questioned Takumi, with righteous anger, "What did they do to you, Takumi? How could your parents allow that to happen to their own child?!"

Takumi swallowed, heart racing inside his chest. Loathe as he was to admit it, coming to terms with his upbringing was still very difficult.

"Early childhood consisted of constant training, physical examinations and reminders to follow Masuku's orders, no matter the consequence. There was no luxury of choice when it came to my purpose in life," there was a deep pit in his stomach, a feeling of helplessness over his own fate. The protégé tightly gripped the soft fabric of his mother's scarf. Unbeknownst to him, Kiryu averted her eyes from the large stitch running down its length.

"Takumi, I'm so sorry…" Suki spoke for the first time since they arrived.

"Don't be," Takumi snapped, blinking back to reality. "My father took care of me, and in the end, he did what was best. As for my mother…" he didn't even know what she looked like. Did she think that her son was too weak to fulfill his purpose? The parasite of a thought stewed in the back of Takumi's mind, but he firmly denied it. She must've cared, else she wouldn't have left anything behind.

"Regardless," he tried to get back on track. Now was not the time for an existential crisis. "Mitsumi and I were forced into intense conditioning, though we were forbidden from Bursting with Pokémon until Masuku gave the order. He planned on training us under his own supervision when we were older.

"For the first eight years of our lives, we lived mostly underground. The entire operation was kept a secret from the public, limiting the amount of daylight in our lives," Infinicorp's basement served as Takumi's family home. Dark hallways, fluorescent lighting and exposed water pipes made up the decorations, and pale, obsessive doctors performed his housekeeping. It was a wonderful place to spend the holidays, why is everyone looking so horrified?

Holding on to any hope that Takumi was lying, Kiryu offered to her rival, "You're obviously standing here today, though. I guess this Masuku fellow's scheme never came to fruition?"

"Indeed, no amount of secrecy could hide the operation indefinitely," Takumi agreed. "By this point, Akio had gone mad in his search for a Legendary, and his inner circle was kept in line by fear and promises of power. Only one man became disillusioned with the experiment and decided to put a stop to it all. To him, I owe my life and freedom," Takumi stood tall and proud in front of the congregation. "That man happened to be my father."

* * *

 _A blood-red sun sank over the peak of Mount Coronet, casting a shroud of twilight across the top floor of Infinicorp's headquarters. Two men stood in the exact same positions so many years prior, on opposite sides of a wide ebony desk. The decorum of Masuku's office, once modest and formal, was now a museum's worth of priceless artifacts. Books, paintings and statues covered every inch of the room, each one with some connection to a Legendary Pokémon. More than an antiquarian's collection, it was the horde of a religious zealot._

 _Akio Masuku leaned forward in his seat, fingers clasped together in front of him, and calmly stared up at his oldest partner. The man across from him held his palms to the table, the only way to stop them from shaking with rage. He had long-since kicked his own chair away and now leered down at his boss. Even on his feet, the brown-eyed male barely stood a couple inches taller than the beast who served as Infinicorp's CEO. Graying hair and bulging muscles gave Masuku the look of a retired rugby star, one still capable of beating the average man to a pulp. Size failed to intimidate his partner in the slightest. He was no average man._

 _"I cannot allow this to happen. We have too much at stake to let you indulge in sick fantasies on my own offspring."_

 _"Mr. Genji, I don't recall you having any problem with my methods eight years ago, when you sired that child," a small smirk appeared on the seated man's mien, only serving to enrage his compatriot further. "Unless you'd like to try and Burst with a Legendary, yourself, I suggest that you leave a scientist's work to the professionals and drop this matter at once."_

 _"You've never even caught a Legendary," Genji spat, knowing that it would hit a nerve. It certainly managed to wipe that indulgent smile off the Director's face._

 _"Oh, I will catch a Legendary, one day. And when I do, I'll create the most powerful Burst Warrior this world has ever seen," the massive man's voice trilled with excitement, his beady eyes widening at the prospect of domination via proxy. "With your son, there'll be no opponent we can't crush. No Champion we couldn't slaughter. Our names will be immortalized in history!" Masuku monologued on, creating a distraction while his hands went for the red button under his desk._

 _Genji grimaced at the disgusting rhetoric, "You're willing to risk the lives of children for the sake of your theory?! They may not even survive Bursting with those things!"_

 _"Then we'll make a third generation, with even better genes than the last. Oh, don't look so sad, Mr. Genji! I'm sure you can find another two-bit whore to plant your-"_

 _CRASH_

 _Every object on Masuku's desk was swept off by Genji's hand. His other arm slowly reached for the most powerful Burst Heart in his arsenal._

 _"…Leave my office this instant," his superior hissed a dangerous command, meant to be followed without question._

 _"Not without my son."_

 _"Over my dead body," the two Burst Warriors nearly shared a moment of amusement over the threat, knowing full-well each other's capabilities. Masuku's words were closely followed by a soft chime from the elevator. The doors slid open for two elite bodyguards, armed with Burst Hearts of their own._

 _"Mr. Genji, we must ask you to step-" a brilliant, burning flash of light nearly blinded the guards as Genji activated his stone. There wasn't even time to release their own Pokémon. One blast from Genji's mouth, and Masuku's forces were sprawled on the floor, bleeding out next to the smoking, blackened remains of the exit._

 _The Director used the opportunity to rise from his own seat. His partner whirled around to find Masuku standing at the opposite end of the room, between marble busts of the Legendary Dragons. "Et tu, Genji?" he mocked, four Pokéballs appearing between sausage-like fingers._

 _"At least make it an honorable battle," Genji was disappointed in his former business partner. Akio should've known better than to make the fight five-on-one. The request was answered by Masuku's Pokémon being released into the office: Dustox, Yanmega, Probopass and Absol. They lined up to protect their master, ready to send a wave of attacks toward Genji at a moment's notice. They were but minor deterrents._

 _Genji released his other two Burst Hearts onto the field, a very familiar Roserade and Froslass. He left them to battle the four Pokémon, knowing that they could easily handle it without him. Masuku Bursted with his own partner, having donned the wide-brimmed hat and ragged purple cape of the evil, Magical Pokémon. With a malicious smirk, the Ghost type dared his opponent to attack. No words were left to be said. Their battle would decide the fate of Mr. Genji's son._

 _In one swift motion, the desk between them was roundhouse-kicked directly at Masuku's face. The Mismagius effortlessly conjured a Shadow Ball and returned fire, blowing the table to pieces. The explosion seemed to trigger Summer and Winter, who sped toward their own opponents. Genji performed an incredible leap above the battlefield, meeting his foe in the air. His foot connected with Masuku's stomach, sending both Burst Warriors toppling to the far side of the room, near the bay windows. They smashed into several statues, then immediately stood up and began trading blows as complete chaos reigned on the top floor of the skyscraper._

* * *

"Hold on, hold on," Clove butted his way into the story, sitting upright on the bed. "How the hell do you know all these details about what happened? You weren't even in the room at the time!"

"Do you want to hear about all the cool things my dad did, or not?" Takumi was patient, if not peeved at the interruption.

Clove opened his mouth to respond, only to be met with several glares from the surrounding listeners. He slowly closed his jaw and gave an innocent motion for Takumi to carry on.

* * *

 _Summer and Winter were beset by two of Masuku's Pokémon, each. The Probopass's Flash Cannon was neutralized by a Shadow Ball, creating a burst of metallic light in the center of the office. The Froslass followed up with an Ice Beam, but Dustox was faster. It flew in the way of the attack and negated it with Protect, saving the Rock type from injury. Before Winter could retaliate, the Probopass was already prepared with Power Gem, forcing the Snow Land Pokémon to duck out of the way._

 _Directly across from her partner, Genji's Roserade performed an elegant dance around Masuku's Absol and Yanmega, expertly dodging swipes from the Disaster Pokémon's horn and Ogre Darner's wings. She ran behind a large bookshelf to avoid Yanmega's Wing Attack, only for the wooden structure to be rent in twain by a Night Slash. Summer spun away and retaliated with Magical Leaf, but it was easily resisted by the Bug type. As Yanmega turned and swooped in for a U-Turn, the Bouquet Pokémon tried to release a Stun Spore, but it was too late. Masuku's Speed Boosted-Pokémon whizzed past and slammed into Summer, knocking her into the floor._

 _Masuku and Genji circled each other, firing attacks at a near-blinding pace. Energy flowed from Genji's Burst as he threw punch after punch at the head of his superior. Most of his strikes were expertly dodged or blocked by the massive man, but each direct hit sent pain coursing through Masuku's entire body, until his smirk all but disappeared under the witch's hat._

 _Genji flung a flame-covered foot toward the Ghost type's chest but fell just short of meeting the mark. He found his leg gripped by Masuku in both hands, held in a deadlock. Ignoring the burning pain, like having his fingers melted off, the Director fired a Psybeam that sent his opponent flying across the office. Genji proceeded to right himself in midair, land flawlessly on the ground and spring forward once again. Shocked at the recovery, Masuku was tackled straight into the window. Glass shattered as both men landed roughly on the outdoor porch, overlooking Eterna Forest._

 _Groaning in pain, Masuku unclenched his eyes just in time to see another fist aimed directly at his face. He desperately pushed himself off the broken balcony and began levitating one hundred feet above the ground. The Ghost type created two more Shadow Balls to throw at Genji, only for them to be knocked askew with a single sweep of his legs. Genji then grabbed Masuku's cape and flung him back into the office, through the shattered window once more, and followed inside to pound him even further._

 _Inside the building, Winter was encircled by the Rock type's Mini-Noses. While she was focused on avoiding Dustox's Psybeam, the three drones began bombarding with Magnet Bomb. Each one attached themselves to the Ice type, pinning her to the floor and holding her in place, free to be fired upon by the other Pokémon. The Froslass gave a cry to her partner, alerting Summer to the Probopass charging its Power Gem. The Grass type narrowly avoided getting KO'd by a stray Air Slash and charged toward an unsuspecting Dustox, too busy using Confusion to notice. Summer shot a vine from her arm and wrapped it around the Poison Moth, who could only give a surprised rasp before being swung directly into the Rock type attack._

 _Masuku's Dustox fell out of the air, unconscious, just as Genji's Roserade was attacked once more by the opposing Dark type. The distraction was just enough to break Compass Pokémon's focus, allowing Winter to knock the Mini-Noses aside and return to the fight. Eyes glowing white with freezing energy, she released a Blizzard across the entire length of the room, wide enough that even Yanmega couldn't escape. The Bug type was frozen solid, and soon Masuku's Absol was flanked on both sides by its opponents. It tried valiantly to cut through the Grass type with Slash and was rewarded with three Poison Stings to the stomach, followed closely by a Wake-Up Slap that knocked it out instantly._

 _A very weary Mismagius Burst's pupils shined blue with Psychic, causing Genji's outline to glow with telekinetic energy. He outright ignored the attack and continued pummeling Masuku's body. A right hook followed a left jab, then another roundhouse kick to the chest. Finally, Genji went for the throat. The CEO was held aloft, despite his size, by one of Genji's hands while the other delivered several more punches. The onslaught ended with a headbutt and a release of Masuku's neck, allowing him to crumple before his enemy's feet. The CEO Unbursted and laid on the cracked office floor, wheezing in pain. He'd been tossed around like a ragdoll in his own office, and was now faced with utter defeat at the hands of his subordinate.  
_

 _Still in his Burst form, Mr. Genji met his former boss on one knee. He gently lifted Masuku's chin with a clawed finger and gazed at the broken man who had once been his closest ally._

 _"…You'll fare no better than me," it was Masuku's turn to spit, a red glob of phlegm that sizzled when it touched Genji's cheek. "Your son could've been the first human to ever control a Legendary. He could've had no equal, a piece of living history!" a fanatical gleam appeared in Masuku's eyes, "Takumi would've been the catalyst for it all. You'll never have that without my knowledge. You'll never teach him without my guidance! You need me in order to survive!"_

 _Genji gave his old partner a long, cold stare. Just as before, there was nothing to be said. His leader had gone mad, and there was no reason left for Genji to help him. Masuku had nothing left to offer. That much had been proven by besting him in combat._

 _All Genji could offer his compatriot was a simple, "Weak."_

 _The word seemed to re-light the fire in Masuku's soul, but his body was too worn to hold it. Eyes bulging out of their sockets, he choked on his own blood in an attempt to shout in protest. As Genji turned to leave, the Director tried to get up and follow, but was too weak to stand._

 _"You think you've won?! Nobody walks away from me unscathed! Nobody!" he screamed crazily before coughing up a puddle of red onto his own floor. He pounded the ground like a child throwing a tantrum, "I'll make sure you never see your bastard son again, Genji! I'll murder him in his sleep!" His threats were empty, completely ignored. That is, until Masuku turned to his last remaining Pokémon. "Probopass: Explosion!"_

 _Genji was forced to do a double take. He turned back to his superior in disbelief. Masuku, a man he once respected for his skill and intelligence, gave an unhinged laugh on the floor. In the corner of the room, the Rock type followed its orders without question, silently closing its eyes and glowing a bright white. There was no time to think. Acting on pure instinct, Genji sprinted towards the already shattered bay windows. Summer and Winter returned to their Burst Hearts, unable to do anything to prevent the oncoming blast. The Compass Pokémon shined brighter and brighter, beginning to shake with massive energy. Nothing on the top floor would escape its attack, and there was only one way to exit. Masuku cackled.  
_

 _The dark-haired man leapt out the window, crashing through whatever glass remained just as the bomb went off. The entire top floor of Infinicorp was a massive firework, flames engulfing everyone and everything inside. Genji glided away from the Explosion and landed hard on a nearby rooftop, having fallen several stories in his escape. He tucked and rolled, narrowly avoiding broken bones, not to mention near-disintegration inside the office. His old friend's attempt on his life had been in vain._

 _The Burst Warrior watched as Infinicorp's original HQ was surrounded in flames, already starting to collapse before anyone could put out the blaze. In his attempt to stop Mr. Genji from foiling his plan, Masuku had only caused destruction in his own company. There was nothing Mr. Genji could do, and he had no regrets. He walked toward the direction of his offspring._

* * *

 _Inside a small, cramped living quarters, barely more furnished than a prison cell, two children watched in fear as Infinicorp crumbled from the top down. Biologists scrambled about the building, trying to grab whatever research they could before the police arrived. Just hours after their boss's headquarters burnt to the ground, the children's caretakers knew the operation was compromised and tried to get out while they could._

 _The full implication was lost on the children, who had no idea what was going on around them. No one paid them any heed as they tried to escape, nor did they acknowledge the tall, intimidating Burst Warrior who entered the hallway and walked toward the children's room._

 _Genji gave the two kids a stern glance. The first one looked up in awe, his tear-stained face carrying a heavy resemblance to his father. The other one, a female, clutched her own parent's necklace for comfort. Attached to it was the fang of her father's Salamence, now deceased. Slightly older than the boy, she had enough sense to regard Genji with suspicion. To the father, it didn't matter what they thought of him. One day, they'd be thanking him for his sacrifice._

 _Without a word, he picked up the two eight-year-olds and began to leave the underground bunker. As he reached the top of the steps, the retired employee gave one last look at the life he was about to abandon. Deep down, he knew it wouldn't be the last his family dealt with Masuku. One day, the ghost of Akio would come back to haunt his lineage. He vowed to prepare his son for the fateful day, whenever it may be._

* * *

"…And tonight, that day has finally arrived," Takumi finished with a nonchalant nod. By the looks on their faces, the younger Genji had thoroughly terrified his audience. He knew the feeling. It was bad enough to hear about all the death and destruction, over the fate of two children. Try living through it.

In any case, Takumi wrapped up the rest of his explanation post-haste. Admittedly, he had been a bit overindulgent in describing his father's accomplishments. "After saving my life, my father taught me everything he knew, training me for a new purpose. Masuku's own children carried on the Infinicorp legacy, and my father believed it was inevitable that they'd return for us. As expected, his hunch was correct."

Avery, always contentious of his patient's wellbeing, was the first to process the mountain of information set before him, "If your father took both of you, how did you get separated from the girl?"

"Lying low from the police and Infinicorp was far too difficult with two children in tow," Takumi said. "Unfortunately, Mitsumi had no immediate family left to take her at that point, so she was handed over to the proper authorities."

"You mean you just abandoned her?! After all you'd been through?"

"It was the optimal solution at the time," Takumi stopped pacing and raised an eyebrow at Clove's incredulous claim. His friend's shock was shared by everyone else in the room, which Takumi didn't understand. There was no other way his father could've handled such a situation. Wasn't that obvious to them?

"Did you at least check in and make sure she was alright?" Suki asked. Takumi reluctantly shook his head.

"I haven't spoken to this woman in fourteen years. Clearly, she's come to me in a time of crisis, but as to how she found my location, I haven't the slightest-"

"Perhaps I can shed some light," a low voice came from the bedside. The tension in the air was heavy enough to make everyone jump at the unfamiliar speaker. They turned to find the scrawny blonde, the woman of the hour, now sitting up and facing the group in bed.

"I think we might've gotten off on the wrong foot earlier, so allow me to reintroduce myself: Mitsumi Haru, professional lab rat for Infinicorp," the calmness in her tone was unexpected, especially when compared to the woman's frayed, desperate pleas in the alley. Despite the attempt at a joke, not a hint of mirth passed over Mitsumi's face. Consciousness did not make her look any less tired or vulnerable.

"A pleasure," the Old Man bowed in greeting, breaking the awkward silence. "Are you feeling well enough? Do you need anything?"

"No, I'll be fine," the blonde gave a curt nod. The small act of moving her legs off the side of the bed caused her to visibly wince, and nearly sent Avery and Suki running to her aid. Takumi stood idly by, watching Mitsumi struggle and determining her strength, or lack thereof.

Once she was settled, Mitsumi was quick to corroborate Takumi's lengthy exposition, "Just about everything that man said is true," she gave him a pointed look, "and if you know so much about our childhood, I guess I can assume that you're the real Takumi?"

"You would be correct," Takumi said. "It's been quite a while. How did you manage to find me?"

"It wasn't too hard, you haven't exactly tried to stay off the radar," she sat deeply hunched over on the bedside. "Sinnoh's star pupil, headed off to a Burst Warrior's haven in Sakhaloh. It's a miracle Infinicorp didn't track you down before they found me. I've tried to stay a little less transparent, if you ever bothered to look me up."

"Rest assured, I didn't. But since you're here, perhaps you could explain why you travelled so far to seek me out?"

"And tell us why those Infinicorp guys were stalking us," Kiryu added. Mitsumi flinched and looked at the teenager, as if she was noticing everyone else in the room for the first time. To be fair, Takumi had nearly forgotten their presence as well. Caught up in his own conflicted feelings, his friends had faded into the background with the worn furniture. They just weren't significant in comparison.

When she finally did acknowledge Kiryu, Mitsumi's voice lost no amount of crudeness. "Don't get your stockings in a twist, kid. They were stalking _me_ , not you. Those two goons knew I was searching for Takumi and beat me to the restaurant, probably hoping they'd grab both of us in one swoop."

"So you decided to knock out an innocent waitor and steal his Burst Heart?"

"I had to make an escape as soon as I saw those two spies, so I brained the kid, took his Pokémon and bolted," the Samurott thief shrugged. Even Takumi could tell it was a flimsy excuse, and that Kiryu remained thoroughly unconvinced.

"So… You ended up leading Infinicorp to us?" Clove questioned, and immediately, Mitsumi became defensive.

"Hey, I did what I had to do!" she growled. "I didn't exactly want you all to get involved!"

"Look, I'm just saying that they wouldn't have found us if you hadn't-"

"You think I'd try and drag someone into my hellhole of a life if I didn't-"

" _Silence!"_ Takumi felt like he was instructing one of his god-awful classes. He first glared at Clove, "I trust Mitsumi enough to believe that she didn't mean to lead those spies here," then turned to Mitsumi, "and these people deserve to know why you've travelled so far to find me. Explain yourself. Now."

If there was any life behind Mitsumi's eyes, it was washed away by the order. She said lowly, "I came here to give a warning, Takumi. Infinicorp's been tracking me for so long, trying to kidnap me for god-knows-what… They'll come after you as well, don't think that they won't!" her breath quickened with each word, starting to come out in short gasps. Takumi didn't want to deal with another panic attack.

"Why is Infinicorp hunting you? Why have they waited so long to strike again?"

"You're not the only one to follow in dad's footsteps… I think the sons of Masuku have taken up the mantle, and they must've found some way to capture a Legendary. Why else would they want to use us as test subjects?"

The professor clasped his increasingly clammy hands behind his back, head bowed in contemplation. Everything he had predicted was coming true. The bane of his family's existence was back, and out for his blood. They aimed to use him for the express purpose of wild experimentation.

Takumi could never forget living underground, surrounded by unfeeling workers and mad scientists, simultaneously treated with great care and as a disposable object. A pawn to be sacrificed for the slim chance at a wielding a Legendary. If captured, would Infinicorp throw him into another sterile room for the rest of his life? The idea made his skin crawl… And made him more determined than ever to make sure that it never happened.

After all, his fellow prisoner had come all this way, into a city controlled by the infamous company, just to ask for his help. She sought out Takumi, because she knew that his father was the only one to defeat Masuku and his minions. Perhaps it was time for the next generation to finish what he had started.

He looked up to find a flustered Mitsumi wandering about the room with a limp in her step. In an increasingly unnerved voice, she rambled, "They've been chasing me for months, no matter where I go they're always one step ahead… Listen, Takumi, I-I didn't live up to my parents' expectations, I've barely Bursted in years! If they make me Burst with a Legendary Pokémon, I-I won't be able to handle it-!"

"Infinicorp will never force you into Bursting," Takumi promised. "They won't lay a hand on you ever again. I fully intend on staying in this city and taking care of them, myself."

" _What?!"_ the fragile woman whirled around, nearly crashing into the nightstand. Steadying herself, she stared at the others with wide eyes. "You saw those two men stalking us, they know we're here! I only came to Winterspring to meet up with you and get the hell out of dodge!" Takumi half expected the panicking female to try and pry open a window with shaking fingers. But his mind was already made up.

"I've heard everything I need to know, Miss Haru, and I will handle this," he spoke as if talking to an unruly pupil. The vigilante turned to the other two females in the room. "You two, make sure she doesn't do anything irrational. Old Man, Clove: Outside," with a flick of his coat, Takumi left the three girls alone in the suite, trailed by Clove and Avery, the latter still grumbling about his nickname.

* * *

"Geez, Takumi, why didn't you tell us you were a test tube baby?" Clove's colorful description painted a lovely picture for Takumi to stew on.

"Must've slipped my mind," the teacher mumbled under his breath, searching for threats off the side of the balcony. Nothing had changed on the cold, midnight streets.

"Even still," Clove insisted, "I'm sorry you had to go through all that B.S., man. It must've been hard keeping it under wraps like that," Takumi merely scoffed, and ordered his friend to close the door behind him. He wanted his companions' advice, not their pity.

Avery kept a hand to his forehead, nursing a powerful migraine. Takumi could tell he longed for the "medicinal herbs" stowed away in the first aid bag. He opened an eye at the professor, "What are you going to do now?"

Takumi reassured himself that he was doing the right thing before speaking, "…I'm going to fight this. Infinicorp has lost the element of surprise, and I have more than enough resources to win against them. I can easily take whatever they have to throw at me."

That evening, when he saw the weak form of Mitsumi with his own eyes, Takumi had already made his decision. He had vowed to protect his friends from further harm, no matter the cost. Now he was presented with a chance to fulfill that promise, emulate his father's success and stop Masuku's deadly influence from reaching anyone else. It was an opportunity that Takumi could not afford to pass up.

The two Sinnohans regarded their friend with concerned, if unsurprised, expressions. When they remained silent, Takumi took it upon himself to elaborate, "Infinicorp has been a plague on my life since birth, one that can only be remedied by defeating them utterly. There's little point in running away from a conflict like this."

"Mitsumi doesn't seem to think so," Clove countered. "She looked ready to Surf on a Magikarp if it meant getting away from here faster. I don't think she'll be happy about this."

"Mitsumi doesn't need to know my opinion on this," already, Takumi was formulating a plan to stop his pursuers once and for all. "She won't be going anywhere, not when she's of much more use to us in Winterspring. Once Masuku's gang locates Mitsumi and reveals themselves, I'll be waiting to strike," a self-satisfied smirk fell on the Burst Warrior's face, but it was not reflected by the other two.

"You mean you're using her as bait?" Clove used the word with extreme distaste, exchanging alarmed glances with the Old Man. Takumi saw little cause for concern.

"The simplest way to attract cowardly scum like them is to put what they want in the open. You must understand, these people are monsters. There's nothing worse than Burst Warrior who abuses his power, and Infinicorp is the penultimate offender."

"I don't think-"

"It's our civic duty to put a stop to this pointless experimentation, because we're the only ones who can," Takumi would not allow himself, or anyone else, to be put through torture, isolation and possible death at the hands of these psychopaths. That was the final word.

"Takumi, I don't know, maybe you should rethink this," Avery cautioned, sharing an equally worried look over the proposed plan of action. The 22-year-old scowled in disgust.

"Very well then. If you refuse to participate, I'm still perfectly capable of doing this on my own," he turned and briskly walked inside the apartment to fetch Mitsumi and leave.

"Hey, wait, we didn't say that-" a mere snap of the fingers from the young Genji, and his trail was blocked by the unflinching forms of Winter and Summer. His Pokémon cut off a pursuing Clove, pushing him back on the porch with sheer force of intimidation.

Let them worry. Takumi didn't bother giving his friends' advice a second thought. No obstacle, human or Pokémon, would stop him from overcoming Masuku's ambition, just as his father had. None of them understood what this meant to him. To do more than fight petty criminals or teach ungrateful students, Takumi would destroy this threat to the world from the inside out. He would make his father proud, no matter the cost. It was his destiny.

* * *

After several minutes of pacing, shaking and incoherent whimpering, Mitsumi made an abrupt return to sanity. She now sat cross-legged on the bed, patting a beat on the covers and occasionally glancing behind her back for unknown intruders. Somehow, this unnerved Kiryu and Suki even more than when she was desperately clawing at the window. The two ladies now stood a safe ten-foot-minimum away from Mitsumi, ready to fight for their lives or cower in fear together, whichever felt more appropriate in the moment.

Exaggerations aside, Kiryu could feel her curiosity getting the best of her. Mitsumi seemed to have calmed down enough to ask about the outrageous fiction they'd just heard from Takumi. Kiryu had asked her mentor to provide evidence for his actions, and he certainly delivered. To say she was blown away by Takumi's dark past was an understatement. It all seemed so implausible, yet he told it so genuinely... Now she could get answers straight from the thief, herself. If she would her tell the truth, at all.

Kiryu ventured forward slightly, ignoring a squeak of objection from Suki, and questioned the newcomer, "So… Is everything that Takumi said, you know, true?" the student felt stupid just for asking. To think that someone would sacrifice their livelihood for a Legendary Pokémon…

"Yep, every word of it," was the flat response.

"I mean, we're talking _child experimentation!"_ Kiryu nearly shouted, unable to wrap her head around it all. "Would Infinicorp really risk all their influence for something like that?"

"Oh," Mitsumi seemed to purposely avoid eye contact with the teen, "so you _don't_ think a multi-million-dollar company would keep an immoral and illegal project hidden from the public?"

"…Point taken."

Mitsumi gave the ceiling a sad smile. "No kidding. The world isn't as happy and innocent as it looks. You'll learn that when you get older. Or not. It's why I never trust anybody," Kiryu wanted to point out that Mitsumi seemed pretty trusting of Takumi when begging him for help, but she held her tongue.

Trying to switch to a less dour topic, Kiryu's gaze settled on the ornament tied around the woman's neck. The object that Takumi had been obsessing over the entire night. What was so special about it? Other than being an actual dragon's fang, the bone appeared mostly mundane to Kiryu. Mitsumi, herself, didn't seem to give it much attention compared to her stoic counterpart.

"Say, where'd you get that, er, dragon necklace?" Kiryu asked innocently. "Did Infinicorp make you fight a Garchomp as a kid or something?"

"It was from Tempest, my father's Salamence," Mitsumi examined the piece with little interest. "My dad was just like Takumi's, obssessed with catching a Legendary. Knocked up some strong Burst Warrior who I never met, and nine months later I popped out," it became apparent that Mitsumi didn't hold her parents in as high regard as Takumi did his.

She explained further, "Masuku only allowed us to have one keepsake from our family. Takumi has that ragged old scarf from his mom, and when dear ol' dad bit it, I was given this tooth," despite the casual, almost uncaring way of speaking, Kiryu and Suki were taken aback by yet another case of dead parents.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. It must've been awful for you," Suki gave her condolences, and received an apathetic shrug in return. Kiryu nodded in agreement with her friend, but otherwise remained silent.

It occurred to Miss Camilla that she'd barely acknowledged Takumi's scarf, even after learning that it once belonged to his mom. Now she knew that the item she'd so recklessly torn was the only memory Takumi had left of a mother he'd never met. Kiryu couldn't imagine breaking her own picture on the nightstand, or forgetting one of her mom's favorite songs, and Takumi must feel the same way over that piece of cloth. She hadn't realized their shared experience until now, and suddenly felt terrible for never formally apologizing about the scarf.

Mitsumi, too, had to deal with losing her family, just like Takumi and his student. Pondering this, Kiryu felt a little more sympathetic for the poor woman. She recalled how messed up she had felt shortly after Miko died… No wonder Mitsumi acted so strangely, after all she'd been through.

"Where did Takumi's dad take you?" Kiryu found herself asking, wondering where a young girl could've gone after such trauma.

"He dropped me off at an orphanage, and they managed to find someone distantly related to me," Mitsumi said, scowling at the wall. "From there I was passed on from one relative to the next, like a freakin' bag of trash. Really teaches you not to rely too much on family. Or anybody, for that matter," yet another idea Kiryu could find common cause in.

"Eventually they forced me on some pompous foster home with their stuck-up daughter. I ditched them when I was fifteen and've been living on my own ever since."

"Only at fifteen?! Why would you do such a thing?" Suki's face fell.

"My 'new sister,' Alana, was a spoiled brat and wasn't too happy to have me around. We had a pretty big spat, and I didn't have much choice after that," Mitsumi spoke candidly and without emotion, just like the boy she was raised with.

Kiryu tried to look Mitsumi in the eyes and gave a sympathetic smile, "Well, I know how bad sibling rivalry can be. You know, you can always talk to us if you need any help," whether Takumi's story was true or not, Kiryu wanted to let the struggling woman know that she could always lend an ear if Mitsumi needed it.

What the teen didn't expect was for her kind gesture to be met with a sudden laugh. It was a hollow, sorrowful chuckle that burst from Mitsumi's throat like a dark wave.

"You think you can help me out? How about you help yourselves," the Samurott thief finally looked Kiryu in the eyes, though she was frightened by the renewed despair brewing behind.

"Get out of here while you can," Mitsumi warned. "Leave me and Takumi alone before Infinicorp hunts you down, too. Once they catch wind of you, they'll track you like a filthy dog!" she crossed her arms, as if chilled, and Kiryu noticed uncut fingernails draw blood as they dug into Mitsumi's own skin.

Suki responded quietly, speaking both for herself and her reluctant companion, "Takumi is our friend, and we can't leave him… It'd be better off for everyone if we faced this challenge together."

"Takumi is in over his head. We all are. That's why we need to run away and never look back. They'll always be right behind…"

"They were beaten before, weren't they? Who's to say someone can't do it again?" Suki asked. Another soulless, empty chuckle.

"You shouldn't go searching the past for answers. You may not like what you find."

* * *

 **In the original roleplay, not much information was provided on Takumi's father, giving me a lot of creative liberty in writing my own backstory for him. What _was_ made clear was Takumi's deep respect and admiration for his dad, so I gave him a heck of a good reason to be proud in the rewrite. In hindsight, Takumi's captivity at the hands of Infinicorp is somewhat similar to another edgy character from Gen 7, and come to think of it, I did begin planning this rewrite shortly after playing Moon version... I refuse to comment on any freudian slip I may or may not have made.**

 **But more importantly, I'd like to take this time for another shameless promotion! My fanfic has actually been blessed with its own fan page! You can find it on Tumblr at "follow-the-burst dot tumblr dot com"** **(replace the spaces and dots with an actual period), where you can get updated on the story, ask me some questions directly and even see some fan art! The page is run by Suki's original creator** ** **, and my great friend, AlleyCat. Please give it a look, and leave a review for this chapter! Hope to see you there!****


	15. Slip Kid

Takumi's eye twitched as the edge of the razor blade cut into his cheek, leaving a small gash and sending a drop of blood onto the graying countertop. He flinched, not over the pain (only the weak reacted over such a minor inconvenience), but due to the loud banging coming from inside his apartment. He currently stood in his personal bathroom, barely larger than a broom closet, in front of a cracked mirror and faded shower curtain.

The male paused, hearing only silence in the main bedroom, then continued to shave what little stubble had grown on his face. Just before the razor grazed his skin once more, there was yet another crash. Louder this time, it sounded as if his entire dresser had fallen over. Takumi abruptly dropped the utensil and glowered at his reflection in the mirror. Keep calm, he told himself, it'll all be worth it in the end.

Leaving the bathroom, Takumi found that his dresser had, indeed, been toppled over onto its face. Several of its drawers were strewn about the area, and the culprit now stood frozen in place, staring at Takumi with a deer-in-the-headlight expression. "Did you have any particular reason for destroying my bureau?" the professor asked patiently.

"I-I," Mitsumi twisted her neck nearly 180 degrees to look at Takumi behind her back. After taking a second to close her gaping jaw, she stuttered, "Th-there was a noise outs-side… S-someone's at the door!"

Takumi, having heard nothing unusual, raised a skeptical eyebrow at the claim. Preparing Cotton's Burst Heart nonetheless, he strode over to the door and peered through the peephole. The hallway was empty, save for an old woman and her Purugly, walking at a snail's pace to the elevators. Takumi glanced back at Mitsumi, "there's nothing to fear. You most likely heard someone walking down the hall."

"I… Could've sworn that they'd tracked us down again… I, I tried to find something to defend myself," Takumi's guest at least had the courtesy to act somewhat embarrassed over destroying his furniture, though her tone lost no amount of nervousness. "I wasn't about to let them take me without a fight…"

"Rest assured, there's no need to worry about that as long as I'm here to handle it," the protégé reminded her tiredly. Despite outward appearances, his new living arrangement proved to be mentally exhausting. Staying in a dingy apartment by himself, he could handle easily. But sharing a cramped bedroom and miniscule bathroom (with a female, no less) was already proving to be an enormous test of his patience. And it had only been two days.

Of course, it didn't help that the mere mention of Infinicorp sent Mitsumi into a frenzy of frayed nerves and panicked breakdowns. When she wasn't hyperventilating, the poor girl could only talk about the company, and what they would do to her if she was captured. Leaving her alone only made things worse. Takumi had left the apartment the previous morning to restock food and supplies. He came home to find Mitsumi cowering under the bed, soaked in cold sweat and trembling like a toddler. She clung to him as if her sanity depended on it.

For Takumi, Mitsumi's dependence was as intriguing as it was irritating. Standing in front of him was supposedly one of the greatest Burst Warriors of his generation. At least, according to her genetic makeup. Though she never received the same intense training of her counterpart, Takumi had at least expected Mitsumi to act at least somewhat rational. Instead, she was quite the opposite.

Maybe Mitsumi _was_ capable of fending for herself, at least at one point. After all, she was clever enough to track down Takumi to Winterspring. But finding the younger Genji and delivering her warning had sapped the last of her willpower, leaving a mess of fear and emotions for Takumi to deal with. She'd given the facts and left it up to him to fix everything. Fortunately, Takumi might be the only man who could succeed at the challenge.

Several cheap dresser drawers were strewn across the floor, their contents partially spilled around Mitsumi. She'd ripped out each piece from Takumi's bureau save for the bottom one, which must've caused the entire dresser to topple over. Mitsumi hugged herself and sat on the carpet while Takumi picked up his clothes.

"I'd worry less if I you'd give me a Burst Heart," Mitsumi said sourly at her host.

"I'm afraid you won't find anything suitable to defend yourself in my underwear drawer," Takumi responded with a slight blush. "Please refrain from destroying my furniture further."

"Then give me one of your own Pokémon, let them protect me!" the woman demanded, not for the first time. Takumi scoffed at the mere notion of it.

"You're much too weak to Burst with my Pokémon for more than a few seconds," he didn't bother to look up from folding an identical black shirt, "and besides, the Old Man's orders were clear: no Bursting until you fully recover," Avery's medical advice was meant in the psychological sense as well as the physical. Takumi had entrusted Kiryu with returning the stolen Samurott to its rightful owner, leaving Mitsumi with no Pokémon to fight, escape or potentially injure herself with. Much to her dismay.

Miss Haru continued to pout while Takumi finished cleaning up the mess she'd made. While he had her attention, the vigilante decided to probe Mitsumi for any information she might have on their pursuers.

"Infinicorp wouldn't be so vehemently after us if they didn't already have a Legendary in their grasp," Takumi pondered aloud, pushing his bureau back into its original position. He questioned Mitsumi directly, "Do you have any idea what their plan could be?"

The woman gave him an evil eye reminiscent of Takumi's favorite student, "How should I know?" Just as uncooperative, too. "Those bastards were keeping tabs on me in Sinnoh for almost a year, but they never sent agents to kidnap me until… Two months ago, I guess?" Despite her cold attitude, at least she could give a rough timetable.

Two months ago… Takumi closed his eyes and recalled any information he'd come across that may be linked to Infinicorp. There had to be at least one indicator that the Masuku brothers were up to something. New building projects, political movements, data breaches, natural disasters…

 _Data Breaches._ Hadn't there been a recent cyber-attack not too long ago? Yes, on a corporation heavily linked to Legendary research, no less. If he could learn who was responsible for-

"When are we leaving?"

Takumi gave a deep sigh. Hearing the same questions over and over again was extremely tiring. Just like the boy she was raised with, Mitsumi was more stubborn than a sleeping Slaking. She was vehement that they follow through on her original plan and leave Winterspring before being found. Unfortunately, Takumi could not afford a lifetime of paid vacation days. He'd made his decision to confront Infinicorp head-on and would see it through to the end. And it was about time he finally put his own plan into action.

A lack of response from Takumi hardened Mitsumi's resolve further. She argued, "You of all people should know how dangerous Infinicorp is! They aren't just a group of tough Burst Warriors. They're cunning, and they'll mess with your head just to get what they want! We have to leave! _I can't take being cooped up in this room anymore!"_

Takumi casually took his coat off its hanger and slipped his arm through. "I thought you'd never say so," he feigned surprise and went to the door. "Come on, let's go."

"…Huh?"

"I said, 'let's go.' Come outside with me."

Mitsumi eyed the man suspiciously. A glimmer of hope briefly passed over her face. "You mean… We're leaving Winterspring?"

"No, I just thought we'd take a walk. It's quite stuffy in here, after all," Takumi barely hid a smirk. Seeing the apprehensive look on Mitsumi, he added, "Oh, come now, you were so enthusiastic about leaving a second ago."

"Because I thought you'd finally seen the light," the stressed woman growled. "You just don't understand! We should be halfway to Orre by now, but you're just twiddling your thumbs while the Masuku brothers hunt us down-"

"We can discuss this later. For now, let's avoid contracting a case of cabin fever. A brief stroll will do us both some good," Takumi picked up Clove's tattered jacket- given to Mitsumi along with a now-discarded phone number- off the hanger and held it out toward his companion. Mitsumi stared at the clothing, not wanting to give any ground by taking it. In the end, though, restlessness won out and she accepted the item.

"…Fine, but let's make it quick," she acquiesced to the professor. Takumi put on a thin smile.

"Yes, let's," his heart leapt at her acceptance. Mitsumi had been right about one thing; it was time to stop meandering and begin hunting the hunters. Putting her out in the open was sure to attract their pursuers. Once they revealed themselves, Takumi would strike back, leaving them with more than just empty threats. This time, he would show them no mercy.

* * *

In a rare expression of courtesy, Takumi decided to at least give his old acquaintance a tour of the city. After all, she'd come all this way to Winterspring, he might as well help her enjoy it. The Burst Warrior left the apartment, took Mitsumi's hand and dragged her to RéBURST Academy, and his favorite location in the entire district.

Heavy snowfall during the previous night had kept most people away from the Academy Park. A foot of pristine, untouched snow blanketed the grounds, trees and walkways. It glistened in the afternoon sunlight as Takumi and Mitsumi trudged down the hill and toward the border of Winterspring.

Mitsumi walked several paces behind Takumi, as if reluctantly lead on a leash. The protégé took little notice of her, instead focusing on the crisp, fresh air and trusting Mitsumi to follow him. He paid no heed to the forlorn look in Mitsumi's eyes. It was a deep-seated sadness that never truly left her, even in such beautiful surroundings. She trailed Takumi in silence.

As they passed the spot where he and Kiryu once battled, Takumi had to glance back and make sure Mitsumi was still following him. She was quite the quiet one, when she wasn't in hysterics.

"I am quite fond of this park," Takumi said. Normally, he wouldn't speak so loosely, even to his closest friends, but he and Mitsumi had known each other since childhood. It left him at ease, at least slightly.

The woman said nothing and walked on, head bowed, shoes scraping the ground where she stepped.

"I'm sure that Sinnoh looks equally serene, if the region isn't covered by a blizzard," he appealed to his fellow Sinnohan.

Nothing. Was this how other people viewed himself? The teacher hadn't realized how awkward his own silence must be. Giving the cold shoulder was fine until you were on the receiving end.

Tiring of the same old paths, Takumi abruptly took a turn into the forest's edge, one of the few wooded areas that he used to train with his Pokémon. Snow-covered conifers separated the streetlamps and pavement from the rest of the miniature forest. Mitsumi wavered on the sidewalk, unsure of where her escort was going but unwilling to object. Eventually she was pushed to follow by the threat of a soft mist covering the park, a signal of future snowfall.

Takumi further elaborated, "If there's one thing to appreciate about this city, it's the union of old and new. Not just the blend of traditional and modern design, but combination of nature and urban landscapes," he was perfectly content with prattling on, but called back towards Mitsumi out of politeness, "don't you agree?"

"It sucks," she finally gave a blunt reply. Takumi stopped in his tracks and turned towards Mitsumi, raising an eyebrow.

"Pardon?"

Mitsumi also paused, lifting her head to look him in the eyes, "This whole city was built by Infinicorp, and it's uglier than Jubilife and Oreburgh combined. I'd like to leave."

"Well personally, I appreciate feudal architecture," Takumi said evenly. This earned a depressed laugh from Mitsumi, too loud for its own good.

"That's pretty stupid. Why care about some old buildings?" Takumi rolled his eyes. He led the way to a nearby clearing in the trees, just out of sight of the main trail.

"Preserving the tradition and culture of the past is a noble cause," the black-haired male reasoned. "For example, my father adhered to a very orthodox method of battling and became one of the greatest Burst Warriors of the modern day. I hope to pass that experience onto my own students one day."

"Sounds like you're just holding them back," Mitsumi contradicted him once again. Takumi cursed himself for being stuck with yet another tiresome punk. He turned to face Mitsumi directly, ready to lecture her on traditional Bursting methodology.

The woman looking back at him was not what he expected to see at all. Where he had prepared to face Miss Camilla, ready to antagonize him at every turn, Takumi found a weak, indifferent girl staring down at her shoes. He realized that Mitsumi wasn't just attacking his views for vexation's sake. What she was saying about the past seemed to come directly from the heart.

Instead of arguing back, Takumi simply asked, "…Why do you believe that I'm holding my students back?"

"If you just teach them about some old tradition, your students won't care about the present. They'll just live in the shadow of a bunch of dead Burst Warriors, instead of becoming great Warriors on their own," Mitsumi mumbled to Takumi, then shifted to a more personal tone. " _Nobody_ should be stuck in someone else's shadow, and they shouldn't accommodate for some old building just because it was built a long time ago."

"…You know, there is some merit to looking backwards," a solemn Takumi pointed out.

"Those who live in the past are doomed to repeat it," Mitsumi caught Takumi's gaze and stared at him intently. The teacher returned the look with equal measure.

"I believe the saying is, 'those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.'"

"Oh yeah? Is that why you want to fight Infinicorp yourself? Just like your dad?"

Takumi broke the stare and did not reply. Not from lack of anything to say, but because something more important caught his attention. What had previously been a clear forest was now coated in an ever-present fog. It inched closer and closer, obscuring the entire tree line that surrounded the small clearing. It was no ordinary mist, but a Capital-M Mist attack.

The sudden tension was not lost on Mitsumi.

"Takumi, what're you-" she was cut off by a hiss for silence by the man, who grabbed Summer's Burst Heart in preparation for an imminent attack. It was the moment he had been waiting for.

His companion opened her mouth to respond, but there was no time. From out of the Mist came several cone-shaped projectiles, aimed directly at the two humans in the center of the field. Before she could say anything, Mitsumi was swiftly tackled by Takumi into a nearby snowbank. Where they had once stood a second before, five jagged Icicle Spears now jutted from the ground.

Out from their cover came two men, dressed in heavy coats and bandanas. Infinicorp's lack of formal uniform made their agents all the harder to distinguish. Flanking them were two Unovan Ice types, Cryogonal and Vanillish, the source of the Mist attack. Their cruel smirks mimicked those of the trainers.

"Well whaddaya know," the taller one jeered, "Hiroshi wasn't lyin'! This Genji fella really is quick to the punch!"

"No wonder he got rocked so bad by this guy," he cackled, referring to the first two agents who tracked down Takumi beforehand.

Glaring at the trainers for getting the jump on him, Takumi picked himself up and brushed a clump of ice off his shoulder. Mitsumi also attempted to stand up but was forcefully pushed back down into the snowbank. A signal to stay put and let the trained professional handle this.

"I hope you realize," Takumi said lightly, "that you will not be afforded the same leniency that I gave to your pathetic cohorts," he Bursted with his Roserade and pointed a poison-coated thorn at them. "This time, I'll be demanding answers."

"Come on now, Mr. Genji. How about you drop the 'tough guy' act and give it up already? I'll tell ya what; come with us without a fight and we may put in a good word for ya with the big man!"

"When I stepped outside this morning, I had expected a stronger challenge than this," the Grass type Burst taunted his opponents. He didn't expect to hear an enraged gasp from the snowbank behind him.

"You knew…?" Mitsumi's eyes widened at her escort. "You set this all up?!"

"Now's not the time for this, Miss Haru," Takumi answered without bothering to look back at her. Of course, she'd find out about being used as bait eventually, but it hardly mattered at this point. Soon, Takumi would have these goons at his disposal for any information that he needed.

Takumi returned his focus to the trainers in front of him, "I hope Infinicorp has more to offer than this pitiful ambush," his jab only caused the thug's grin to widen under the bandana.

"Don't worry Genji, we've got at least one trick up our sleeves to keep things interestin'."

The ground began to tremble. Takumi looked down, only to be blinded by a flurry of snow and dirt erupting from under his feet. This was closely followed by the steel claws of an Excadrill Burst Warrior. The Dig attack sent Takumi flying backwards, landing face-first just short of a terrified Mitsumi. The three agents chuckled as their target lay there, motionless.

"Cryogonal, tie them both up with Bind," the leader motioned for the Crystalizing Pokémon to move in and immobilize the two. The snowflake wordlessly obliged and floated towards the pair, frozen chains snaking toward a cowering Mitsumi.

Just as it made to grab her, Takumi raised his bouquets and released a Stun Spore directly in the Ice type's face. The Cryogonal fell and landed on its back, allowing the Grass type to spring to his feet and deliver a petal-coated sucker punch to the Excadrill's stomach. Spitting out a hunk of snow, Takumi held out an arm and motioned for the two trainers to "bring it on."

Outraged by the trick, one of the goons cried, "Vanillish, Icicle Spear!" and his Pokémon began launching more projectiles from its cone. This time, though, Takumi was ready. He raced toward the humans, effortlessly dodging each spear as they flew by. His opponents ducked for cover as the Burst Warrior prepared to strike with a series of Poison Stings.

His attack was abruptly cut short by a bull rush from the Excadrill Burst. The two tumbled to the side and landed on their feet at the edge of the clearing. While the non-Burst Warriors picked themselves up, Takumi surveyed his surroundings, searching for any kind of advantage. Aside from a few deep piles of snow, there was nothing Takumi could benefit from without retreating into the trees, and away from Mitsumi.

The mole Pokémon launched himself at the protégé once more, swiping and stabbing with Metal Claw. Takumi dodged a strike to the shoulder, then a swipe at his head, before sending a vine around the Excadrill's forearm. The Roserade's poison barbs failed to scratch the Steel type's metal hide and were quickly cut apart by a flex from Excadrill's sawblade hands. Takumi frowned at his predicament just before flipping away from another Metal Claw to the legs.

Takumi left a Leech Seed in his wake, but even that proved fruitless against the Subterrene monster. As the seed's vines began to wrap around the him, the Burst Warrior merely brushed them off with a quick Rapid Spin. It did buy Takumi enough time to focus on the Ice type watching from afar.

Excadrill hot on his tail, Takumi ran back towards Vanillish, dodging an incoming Ice Beam in the process. The Ground type leapt into the air and came down with a Slash attack, only for Takumi to slide under the levitating Ice Cream Pokémon as if sliding to home base. Excadrill crashed into his ally, knocking them both into a disorganized pile. The two trainers watched in awe as the Roserade Burst jumped back to his feet and hit the opposing Pokémon with a Magical Leaf for good measure.

Brushing himself off, Takumi considered his odds. The two non-Burst Warriors were weak, but he had to take out their Pokémon before unleashing his full force on that Ground type. As long as all three opposing Pokémon were preoccupied, Takumi wouldn't have to worry about protecting-

"Takumi!" a frightened cry brought his attention back to Mitsumi, hunched on the ground under the shadow of a leering Cryogonal. The Roserade Burst wasted no time in coming to her aid, sneaking behind the Ice type and latching his vines onto its ridges. Takumi sapped the life out of Cryogonal with Mega Drain before struggling to fling the heavy Pokémon to the side.

"If you wouldn't mind getting out of the line of fire," Takumi suggested to the woman, but it was no use. Mitsumi was now in the fetal position, whimpering and shivering from either cold or fear. _This_ girl was expected to control a Legendary?!

The Ice types and Excadrill surrounded their target from all sides. Takumi was forced to stand in front of Mitsumi, making sure that they'd never capture her, no matter the cost.

"Use Mist on the battlefield!" the trainers called to Vanillish and Cryogonal. Both Pokémon spun in the air and released an obscuring vapor from their mouths, leaving Takumi in a cloud of fog. Soon, he could barely see the crouching girl a foot away from him, let alone the camouflaged Pokémon ready to strike.

Practically blinded by the Mist, Takumi closed his eyes tried to perceive his opponents with his other senses, but it was no use. The snow muffled any sound coming from the edge of the clearing, leaving the Burst Warrior confined in silence. He and Mitsumi were alone in a chamber of frost.

Upon opening his eyes, the Bouquet Burst was met with the silhouette of a Rock Slide falling on top of their position. Takumi scooped up Mitsumi and sprung away, just barely avoiding being crushed into fine paste. Placing the frozen blonde back on the ground, Takumi felt himself get pelted in the back with an Ice Shard attack. He whirled around to search for the perpetrator, only to be pummeled by a Mirror Shot from the opposite direction.

Time was of the essence. Takumi knew that he couldn't withstand Super Effective moves forever, much less protect Mitsumi as well. He needed to find his opponents in the Mist before being overcome completely. Was there some way that he could pinpoint their location? …Yes, maybe there was.

The Roserade Burst fired a Magical Leaf into the air and watched the trajectory of the glowing foliage. The no-miss move changed direction in midair and flew off to his left, into the clouds. A pained cry of a Vanillish soon followed, and Takumi knew he had found his target. He released several vines from his arm and harpooned the Icy Snow Pokémon with Poison Sting. An indignant cry from the enemy trainer, no doubt at the sight of his own Pokémon being dragged into the Mist, bolstered the professor's confidence further.

"Damn it, get in there and take him out!" Takumi barely made out the order from the group leader, directed at the Excadrill Burst. Takumi fired another Magical Leaf with his free hand and watched it strike the hazy image of a charging Ground type. Undeterred, the mole Pokémon spun forward in a Drill Run attack. Attached by vines to a struggling Vanillish, there was no way Takumi could avoid the devastating move. He stood in front of Mitsumi and braced for impact…

The female at his side emitted a glass-breaking shriek, and the Excadrill Burst suddenly changed direction. He spun off to the side- and directly into the path of his partner's Pokémon. The Drill Run rammed into the captured Vanillish, ripping it out of Takumi's grasp and sending the two tumbling into the snow bank. Huh, maybe Mitsumi was of some use, after all.

One Pokémon successfully knocked out, the Roserade Burst unleashed his full power on the prone Excadrill. Spinning in place, Takumi conjured his own tornado of flowers and let the Petal Dance tear into the opposing Burst Warrior's armor.

Outside the fog, the two lackeys watched with baited breath as the Mist finally cleared. They were met with their Burst Warrior partner being dropped unceremoniously at their feet by the Petal Dance, unconscious. Takumi eyed the trainers coolly, ready to finish the job.

"Cryogonal, use-!" the leader cried hopelessly, but it was too late. The Roserade Burst shook off his confusion and let loose a Venoshock, zapping the snowflake before it had any hope to dodge. Their final Pokémon fell the wayside, utterly defeated.

Takumi dusted off his bouquets and took a step forward. "Now, with all that settled, I believe you both owe me a few answers."

"…Shit, bail!" the leader swore and tried to book it out of the forest. His partner was not so lucky. He felt a poison vine wrap around his ankles, causing him to trip, fall and receive a face full of tree bark in the process.

Takumi reeled the man as easily as a paralyzed Luvdisc. He allowed the vine to creep up the thug's leg and hold him in place, squeezing him tightly. Not too tightly though, Takumi kept his pupil's advice about self-control in mind. Instead, he leaned down toward the groveling lackey and commanded, "Start talking. Now."

"Hey, l-look, man, I'm just doing this for the job!" the trainer stammered in vain.

"You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who cares less about your excuses," Takumi replied with a deadly coolness. His free arm brandished several poisonous thorns. "Tell me why Infinicorp is trying to kidnap Mitsumi and I."

"I-I don't know! They just said that you two were powerful Burst Warriors and-"

"I'm well-aware. Your organization and I have a long history together. But why have they chosen to wait so long before striking? Why here, why now?" The captive gulped, searching for any knowledge that might spare his life and dignity.

"Well, I… All I can say is that there's a big project going on in the east side of town," he said. "Infinicorp rented out some warehouse, and we've been reporting there for orders. They even said one of the big boss leaders will be there… M-maybe that has something to do with it?"

The 22-year-old allowed his snitch to struggle while he pondered the possibility of this new information. Was this supposed warehouse linked to Infinicorp's greater agenda, or was it a red herring? Perhaps they were building a new laboratory to house a new genetic project, or maybe it would be used to store some chained-down Legendary, transported to Winterspring in secret?

Whatever the reason, Takumi would continue to pry for any information before taking further action.

"Where is this warehouse located?"

"J-just south of Himamori Street, there's a huge complex… A ton of people there, and lots of security," the rat continued to sell out his organization.

"For their sake, your comrade best warn them that the son of Genji is coming for them," Takumi's eyes flashed venomously. He considered using this captive as bait until more knowledgeable employees appeared. "Takumi Genji and Mitsumi Haru won't stop until the Masuku brothers' scheme ends in utter failure."

The man glanced back and forth, as if terrified that his next sentence would be his last. "Well… If you two are working together… How come that girl just ran off?"

Takumi let a look of confusion escape through his mask. "…What?" he turned around, fully expecting a pathetic bluff, only to discover that Mitsumi had, indeed, disappeared. All that was left were a series of footprints in the snow, leading back toward the Academy Park.

Takumi's face darkened as he held back a swear. Against his better judgement he released the vulnerable human and took off after his counterpart, propelled by a mix of concern and rage for her abrupt exit. This woman was going to be the death of him.

* * *

Takumi followed Miss Haru, from a distance, all the way back to his own apartment. Despite her best efforts to search for potential followers, the Roserade Burst remained hidden in the shadows with Mitsumi none the wiser.

By about halfway back to his complex, Takumi had guessed Mitsumi's reason for abandoning him in the forest. For some strange reason, people don't seem to enjoy being used as bait to further Takumi's plans, he was rapidly learning.

He allowed Mitsumi a few minutes to enter the building before following. Ignoring the bewildered stares from anyone who happened to catch the spectacle, the young adult returned to his apartment.

In the hallway, Takumi sighed upon finding his door locked by Mitsumi via the spare key. He dreaded whatever reaction he would face inside, almost to the point of regretting using Mitsumi in the first place. Channeling all of his patience that he had built up from instructing teenagers, the teacher opened the door and entered.

Takumi's bed was currently occupied by a human-sized lump under the covers. All that was visible of Mitsumi, frigid and wet from hiding in the snowbank, was the top of her head and a pair of glowering eyes. With the lights off and curtain drawn, the two were left squinting at each other in the limited illumination from the doorway. An accusatory finger appeared from the sheets, directed at Takumi's face.

"You _knew_ those bastards were going to attack us!" the girl nearly sobbed, scared stiff by the encounter. What had been an emotionally draining afternoon for Mitsumi was a simple matter of logic for her bodyguard.

"It was a necessary risk to obtain more detailed information on Infinicorp's goals. The entire situation was under my control," Takumi explained easily. "As I had promised, no harm came to you while under my protection. That said, I cannot guarantee your safety when you so carelessly run off without me."

" _You call that safety?!_ I was nearly buried under a Rock Slide!"Mitsumi yelled hysterically, much too loud for the neighbors' liking. "I keep telling you that this is our only chance to run away, and you just drag us deeper into this mess! Am I Just some pawn in your high and mighty scheme?!"

Takumi chose not to respond, letting Mitsumi draw her own conclusions from his silence.

When Takumi gave no counter argument, the woman buried herself under the bedsheet once more, crying in despair, "If I knew you were just going to play the hero when I found you, I never would've come to Sakhaloh…"

"It isn't 'playing the hero' when you truly are the only one who can stop Masuku," Takumi responded evenly, closing the door and hanging his coat to dry. He saw little point in arguing when his mind was already made up. "You and I are the only two with the capabilities to stop this madness, Miss Haru. Nobody else has even bothered to try. I thought you would've known that by now."

"I know one thing," Mitsumi's voice was muffled before she rose from the covers. "I can't trust you to take me around this god-forsaken city, anymore. I'm staying right in this spot until you change your mind about leaving."

Takumi analyzed his fellow test subject, through the thin veneer of stubbornness at not getting her way. Once again he saw an underfed, wide-eyed girl shivering in the corner like a toddler. Several clumps of hair, more white than blonde, fell and lay scattered around her from stress. The woman was clearly disturbed, perhaps not even mentally sound, all because of the Masuku's selfish actions from so long ago.

Mitsumi was quite literally born for greatness, but years of captivity and a lack of proper training stripped her of that title. Seeing her in such a state only further strengthened Takumi's resolve to make Infinicorp pay for its crimes. It also reminded him to keep his cool, despite his houseguest's protestations. The professor knew from experience not to lose his temper when dealing with a distressed female…

Takumi pulled up a chair and faced Mitsumi with a stern expression. "It would be against my upbringing to abandon this city and allow Infinicorp to continue their sick experiments. Not to mention that I can't simply leave my teaching job to run across the world. However, I also can't leave you alone in this apartment when I swore to ensure your safety. Therefore," he took a seat on the chair and relaxed, "I have no choice but to wait here until you're ready to leave my apartment once again."

For a moment, Mitsumi's form sat still under the blanket. Then a single eye peeked out from under, "So now we're just gonna sit here until they track us down?"

"By all means, you're free to leave at any time, and I'll be sure to follow. Once we're out there, though, I'll be searching for answers over a means to escape."

If nothing else, Takumi's challenge did provoke some of Mitsumi's fighting spirit. She became less afraid, showing the stubbornness shared by both Sinnoh natives. Still under the pretense that staying indoors meant safety, the woman crossed her arms and said, "Fine. I'll stay in here as long as I need, until you're ready to leave this region."

"We shall see who breaks first," Takumi replied with a small smirk.

And so, it was on. A test of fortitude to see who could stand being cooped up in a cramped apartment longer. If Takumi faltered first, Mitsumi would have the opportunity to run away from her problems. If Miss Haru faltered, she'd be dragged along to fight Infinicorp singlehandedly. The discipline of a well-trained Burst Warrior against the patience of a streetwise loner.

* * *

The first couple hours went by without incident. Mitsumi knelt on the bed (Takumi had already been sleeping on the floor since her arrival) and stared outside, expecting a mob of people to charge the building at any moment. The sky, already covered with clouds, continued to darken, causing the blonde's shadow to shift across the dorm room like a sundial.

Takumi, meanwhile, tried to make the most of things and get some work done. He sat at his desk, hunched over a stack of lesson plans and tutoring schedules. Between grading papers and filling out forms, the amateur investigator followed his only lead, given by Infinicorp's thugs, and looked up the warehouse on Himamori Street. What he found wasn't too promising. There was no proper address for the complex, and any aerial shots were taken too long ago to be of use. He briefly considered sending Ragune or Winter to investigate the area but decided to wait and see how events in his own apartment would unfold.

Upon completing his work, the man glanced at Mitsumi from the corner of his eye. The pitiful thing sat motionless, wrapped up in a blanket due to the lackluster heating. Such a different outcome than himself. A thought occurred to the protégé.

"You know, for someone genetically predisposed to becoming a Burst Warrior, you don't seem to use your gift too often," he pointed out rather bluntly. Mitsumi stared out the window with dead eyes.

"…If you had had proper training, perhaps you could've used your abilities to greater effect," he continued. In an effort to extend an olive branch, Takumi decided to add, "I do regret that my father wasn't able to take you in after saving us, though we had no other choice."

This time he got a sharp exhale of breath from his guest, but not much else. Taking the lack of response as an invitation to talk further, Takumi led into the question that had piqued his curiosity.

"Where have you been these past fourteen years? What have you been doing?"

Very slowly, Mitsumi turned to face the teacher across the room. Perhaps out of sheer boredom, or maybe a need to communicate, she finally chose to engage with him.

"If you must know, I was sent to my distant relatives, and they didn't condone Bursting with Pokémon," she spoke in monotone. "They vaguely knew that my own dad went nuts and died because he was a Burst Warrior. They said that he only brought the family trouble and dead weight. As if I needed a reminder."

"What about your foster parents? Wasn't it their job to support a child under their care?" Takumi had heard from Suki that Miss Haru had run away. He failed to understand why a teenager would abandon their home and family, surrogate or not. Not even Kiryu, his young punk student, had gone that far in her rebelliousness.

"Psh, the last family I stayed with didn't provide much more than room and board," Mitsumi sighed. "They were more interested in their own daughter, anyways. I could tell when I wasn't wanted, and after beating the crap out of Alana I didn't have much choice. It all sucked."

"Surely it couldn't have been worse than being held in Infinicorp's laboratory, could it?"

Mitsumi's expression took a disturbed turn, "Maybe it wasn't, but horror has a lot of different ways to mess with your head," for Mitsumi, sterile halls, pitiless scientists and probing needles seamlessly shifted into empty houses, neglectful parents and abusive insults. For Mitsumi, the nightmare never truly ended.

Despite her emotionless exterior, Takumi could tell that Mitsumi was haunted by those years in foster care. The female's expression darkened at the mention of this 'Alana' foster sister, perhaps because it drudged up yet another bad memory. He could only guess, and didn't dare ask, the specifics. A young Mitsumi's temper flaring, before unleashing whatever potential was locked away inside by years of neglect from her own family…

"But to answer your question, no, I didn't get much of a chance to practice my oh-so-special Bursting abilities," Mitsumi gave a short, off-color chuckle. "It's funny, I'm not even good at the one thing I was born to do."

Takumi felt his mind fall deeper into a dark, vulnerable place. Being stuck inside with Mitsumi was having a distinct mental effect. They were feeding off each other's madness, amplified by their close quarters in the apartment. Delving into their shared past felt like slipping into quicksand, sinking into an introspective mind that he'd never had before. And Mitsumi's last comment hit him very hard.

"I do know how you feel. To be brought into this world for one express purpose, and then denied the means to achieve it… It can all be very frustrating," Takumi found himself admitting. Of course, "frustrating" was an understatement. Thinking about his lost destiny created a pit of emptiness like no other. It was like staring into the vastness of space. Without purpose, you were a tiny, insignificant speck in an infinitely larger world.

A more religious man may believe that he was placed on Earth to fulfill a specific calling. Many people spend their entire lives trying to find what that true reason is. Maybe when they discover it, they'll be freed from the uncertainty of life. Well, Takumi thought, he and Mitsumi were both very aware of their true calling, to Burst with some powerful Pokémon. But they didn't feel free. It was all much more limiting than it was liberating.

With all that said, Mitsumi's reaction was somewhat unexpected.

"Yeah, I bet you'd think like that," she seemed to read his mind, but did not agree with the conclusions. "I couldn't care less what that asshole Masuku had planned out for me. Not him, not Infinicorp, and definitely not my parents," Takumi caught a clear hint of bitter anger rising up in her voice. "Screw them all. I only care about my own wellbeing, not some pre-ordained evil scheme to control a Legendary."

"That's quite the naïve outlook. Is that why you left your foster home?" Takumi said, and the woman rolled her eyes.

"Running away from there was the best decision of my life. My entire family either rejected me or tried to use me to take over the world. Why should I ever care about someone who sees me like a disposable chess piece?" any subtleties in Mitsumi's declaration were seemingly lost on Mr. Genji.

The professor shrugged, "If that's what helps you cope, then so be it."

"Do you have a better way of dealing with it?"

"In fact, I do: find a new purpose in life," Takumi felt that he was stating the obvious. "Though I may never Burst with a Legendary Pokémon, I've found a new calling in passing on my father's legacy through education. My life is dedicated to teaching the spiritual values of Bursting and punishing those who abuse their gift," it was the sole reason that he became an instructor at RéBURST Academy. Takumi's destiny had shifted from pawn to protector.

"Your father's legacy, huh?" Mitsumi repeated with some skepticism. "You really do worship that guy, don't you?"

"He gave up his former life to rescue, train and save me. Everything I am, I owe to him."

An increasingly unsettled Mitsumi looked as if she was about to respond, but she held her tongue before any thoughts could escape. Instead, she gave a defeated sigh, "It must be nice to have someone like that… How did he die?" Her host flinched at the mere mention of the topic.

"…Natural causes. Dormant tumor. No foul play was involved, fortunately," in yet another showcase of irony, the greatest Burst Warrior of Takumi's lifetime couldn't prevent the inevitable. It gave Takumi a deep respect for nature, or whoever controlled the natural order of things. "I'll be forever grateful for the years that I had with him."

"Sometimes I wish I could say the same for my own family," for the first time since explaining it to Kiryu, Mitsumi acknowledged the Salamence tooth hanging around her neck. Despite the woman's tough talk, she held on to that heirloom for a reason. Takumi thought he caught a glimpse of a tear in her eye, but the evidence was wiped away with a brush from her sleeve.

The passing hours went by without much more conversation. Stuck inside with only each other's company, the two young adults had little choice but to endure the monotony, or else concede defeat in their little competition. Takumi spent the remainder of the evening in meditation, refreshing his mind and body in preparation for any Burst battles in the near future. Mitsumi paced around the cross-legged man, muttering to herself about an ambush at any second.

When it came time to retire, Takumi's guest was clearly much too paranoid to sleep. The host offered to let Ragune stand watch for the night, but it was declined. Eventually, he let her do as she wished without putting up much of a fight. If Mitsumi wanted to stay awake the entire night, then that was her mistake. Takumi laid out his sleeping bag and got a relatively comfortable rest on the linoleum floor.

* * *

He awoke to find Mitsumi in the exact same position he left her. She knelt on the bed, hunched over with her chin resting on the bottom of the windowsill. Takumi had to marvel that she'd seemingly held the same pose for several hours straight. The woman watched the sunrise with sagging eyelids and an open jaw, the lack of sleep taking its toll on her already worn out psyche. Somehow, she looked even more like a zombie than before.

Takumi took pity on the stubborn gal. After cleaning up and changing clothes in the washroom, he cleared his throat and said, "Why don't we stop in the café for something to eat? You look like you could use a pick-me-up."

Barely hearing him through the static in her head, Mitsumi slowly turned and nodded silently. Too exhausted to put up a fight, she allowed Takumi to take her hand and lead her out of the dorm.

The downstairs café was abuzz with activity, mostly made up of Academy students preparing for the start of the spring semester. Several businessmen also occupied the restaurant before making their morning commute across the city. Fresh pastries were baked early in the morning and now sat in display cases to tempt potential customers.

Takumi had chosen a seat only a few tables away from where he once sat with Miss Camilla and Suki, to discuss the nature of Kiryu's private lessons. Back when they were arguing like an old married couple and beating up Mr. Uendo. How quaint.

As per usual, a large slice of strawberry shortcake sat in front of Takumi, and he relished every bite. Across from him was a mass of scraggly yellow hair, a result of Mitsumi resting her face on the countertop. Her motionless rack of skin and bones received more than one concerned look from the other patrons.

"You're sure you don't want anything to eat? I can pay for it," the teacher offered.

"Nah, the latte's fine," came the muffled reply. Her hand hung loosely around the vanilla coffee, but she could barely raise her head to drink.

"Suit yourself," Takumi returned to his late breakfast. The clink of silverware and talk from the other customers created a positive vibe in the café. It lightened the 22-year-old's mood considerably, and he was grateful for the chance to escape the maddening confines of his apartment. After finishing the shortcake, he looked back at Mitsumi and asked, "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Mitsumi's eyes shifted toward him through her tangled hair, "When do I get to leave Winterspring?"

"As soon as I've crushed Infinicorp underneath my foot," Takumi's casual answer was the same as ever.

It was at this point that Mr. Genji caught a glimpse of a certain porcelain face within the crowd. Suki weaved her way towards them, apologizing to any person she happened to bump into. Takumi suddenly became acutely aware that, after spending three days cooped up in a crummy apartment, he may look somewhat unkempt. He then proceeded to kick himself for caring about such trivial matters.

"Takumi, Hi," Suki gave a polite smile, despite the off-putting sight of a half-conscious Mitsumi.

"Miss Harmoni," the professor nodded in greeting, then made to reintroduce his coworker. "Mitsumi, I'm sure you remember Miss Suki Harmoni."

"Vaguely," Mitsumi barely raised her eyes towards Suki without much recognition. A reaction the secretary was used to by this point. At the very least, Miss Haru made the effort to sit up in her seat and drink her coffee while Takumi turned towards the new arrival.

"Is there something you needed from me?" he asked, not quite sure why Suki had travelled out of her way to see him.

Her smile faltering slightly, Suki leaned down and lowered her voice, "Well, yes, Takumi… I was wondering if we were still going out tonight. We had plans, remember? But… you haven't been answering your phone…" she trailed off, seeing Takumi struggle to swallow a strawberry for a moment. The only outward acknowledgement that he'd completely forgotten the dinner they'd planned a week prior.

"Oh, yes, well, I've been somewhat busy, what with making sure that Mitsumi is safe…"

"Oh no, I completely understand!" Suki quickly reassured. "I know you have a lot on your plate, but Clove and Avery were getting worried too…"

"My ringer must be turned off-"

"That's fine, really, I understand-"

"Oh, gimme a break," Takumi and Suki stopped talking over each other to look at Mitsumi. She eyed the couple with deep annoyance. "Don't tell me, Takumi, is this chick the reason you don't want to leave Winterspring?"

"What?" Takumi glanced over at a deeply blushing Suki. His own cheeks soon adopted a less whiter shade of pale.

Suki spoke up in defense for her friend, "N-no, that's not the case at all!" but only succeeded in turning Mitsumi's vitriol against her.

"No need to get jealous, honey. I won't steal your boytoy away. You can have a long-distance relationship for all I care," Takumi slammed a hand on the table, a bit harder than he intended.

"Refrain from dragging Suki into our petty feud, Miss Haru," he ordered, a dangerous edge to his tone.

"Or what? You'll order me around and ignore me? You've kinda been doing that for the past three days," Mitsumi responded sarcastically. Suki, meanwhile, muttered an apology to no one in particular. Her presence faded into the background as the two Sinnohans got into it once more.

Takumi rubbed his temples in exasperation, "If you'd just cooperate with me and stop acting so stubborn, we might've already had this Infinicorp problem solved."

"Don't talk to me like I'm one of your lousy students!" Mitsumi snarled, her rage boiling over. "I'm trying to help you!"

"And what a fine job you're doing."

"If you'd stop caring about your stupid dad's legacy for one second, you'd see that trying to stop Infinicorp is pointless!"

"Running away from your problem is no better solution, Miss Haru. Your life will end as a meaningless waste of time."

" _FINE!"_ the woman screamed at Takumi, standing up and attracting the attention of the entire restaurant. _"Go on your suicide mission, we'll see who ends up surviving longer!"_ Tears welling up in the terrified female's eyes, Mitsumi ran out of the café and back toward the apartments. Silenced reigned as all eyes were locked on the protégé's table. Takumi's head remained bowed, dark hair obscuring his expression.

Red as a beet, Suki stared in openmouthed shock, trying to eek out any kind of response from her frazzled mind.

"T-Takumi-" her whisper was overtaken by the screech from Takumi's chair. The man stood up and exited the diner without acknowledgement. She tried to force her frozen legs to follow but was stopped by a call from the café manager.

"You know, someone needs to pay for those kids' food," the old lady raised an expectant eyebrow. Suki attempted to whimper an objection, but it was no use. She sighed and walked over to the register with her credit card.

* * *

Around the back side of the apartment complex, Takumi leaned on the cement wall and took a heavy breath. His old, blind rage had begun to return in the diner, but he had forced himself to quell it. Not that Miss Haru wouldn't have deserved it. Why couldn't she see the importance of ending Masuku's scheme once and for all?! Couldn't she see what it meant to him?

Takumi kicked the nearby dumpster, barely flinching as his foot bruised against the hard metal. Mitsumi most likely fled back to his apartment, hiding like a child once again. Forget her. Mitsumi is weak. If she truly wasn't going to be of any use, he'd finish this on his own.

The next best step, he reasoned, would be to investigate Infinicorp's warehouse in person, perhaps after enlisting Clove's help. At this point, the best way to protect Mitsumi would be to remove the threat entirely, leaving nothing left to protect against.

"If that crazed girl doesn't appreciate what I'm sacrificing to protect her, then I shouldn't be obligated to compromise," the young adult resolved to himself. By doing things his way, Takumi could kill two birds in one stone. Infinicorp would be quickly destroyed, and he'd never have to think about Mitsumi ever again.

The Burst Warrior paced around the backlot, struggling to remember the location of the supposed warehouse. All memories of his research felt extremely fuzzy. On what street was it located, again? Why were his thoughts filled with such static-?

"I must say, Mr. Genji, you certainly do have a way with women," an indulgent, nasty voice approached from behind. Takumi whirled around- and was met with a very strange sight.

Standing in front of him was a shorter man, with brown hair and the most puffed up, smug face he'd ever seen. The young man (boy?) was fully covered by a lab coat that reached his shoes and wore bifocals. The winter sunlight reflected off his glasses, making it nearly impossible to make out the color of his eyes. Levitating beside him was a brown Pokémon, the source of Takumi's scrambled mind. The Beheeyem's multicolored lights flashed in sequence.

"…Who are you?" Takumi wasn't sure whether to put up his guard or stifle a condescending chuckle at the strange character. He still patted his coat, though, making sure that his Burst Hearts were prepared.

The stranger laughed, high-pitched and irritating, "You fail to recognize me? I suppose that is to be expected; I customarily fail to make many televised appearances," Takumi blinked as a business card slid out of the man's front pocket of its own volition and floated towards him. He took it from the Psychic type's grasp while the man stood motionless, hands clasped behind his back, grin growing ever wider.

The name on the card nearly caused Takumi to faint:

 _Wayne Masuku- Geneticist, Head of Biology, Co-CEO of Infinicorp_ _™ Enterprises_

"…You…" he couldn't help but gasp at what he was reading.

"I," the stranger, son of Masuku, gleefully pointed at himself. The offspring of one of the most vile, destructive people on the planet.

Takumi flicked the card away as if it were poisonous, straight at the young Masuku's face. Utilizing the distraction, the protégé's hand flew toward his coat pockets with deadly intent. A mere inch away from Cotton's Burst Heart, his arm froze in place. He looked up to see the Cerebral Pokémon's appendage raised toward him, locking Takumi in a powerful psychic grip.

"My my, quite the hair-trigger," Wayne taunted, strolling around Takumi's motionless body with impunity. "Wouldn't you like to ascertain my identity before beginning such hostilities? Perhaps you could ask if I know of your identity as Takumi Chikao Genji, progeny of the traitor who backstabbed my father fourteen years prior? Or maybe I could distinguish myself as Wayne Masuku, the genius who established the most prosperous company in the world at age sixteen? Would that provide enough evidence to warrant deadly force?"

"What are you doing here?" Takumi growled as the scientist walked behind him. His head was held in place by Beheeyem, unable to follow Wayne's movements as he stepped out of sight. Otherwise, Takumi would've loved to slit his throat and be done with it. Restraint be damned, he'd execute Masuku on the spot and end his problems here and now.

Wayne let out another laugh, "So hasty, Mr. Genji! Very well, I'll stop beating around the bush; I've come here to inspect and analyze how our old _Cavia Porcellus_ are doing. My employees don't appear to be doing a very competent job of tracking you down without my assistance."

"I apologize for sending all of your minions back in shambles. I'll make sure to send them home in a body bag, in the future."

"Oh, that's quite alright!" the young Masuku grinned. "Magnificent, in fact! I couldn't be more ecstatic to see my father's star lab rat performing so well against my best men!"

"If you do intend to capture Mitsumi and I, I do hope you're close to actually catching a Legendary this time. If you wait too long, you might end up following in your dad's footsteps," Takumi couldn't stop the seething hatred building in his voice. He struggled against the psychic bonds but was only let free when the CEO stood safely behind his Pokémon.

Interestingly, Wayne took no offense from the jab at his father. Though he did adopt Akio's crazed joy at the mere mention of a Legendary.

"Oh, we _are_ close, Mr. Genji. _Very_ close to capturing a Legendary. According to myth, we're on the brink of obtaining one of the most powerful Legendary Pokémon to inhabit this universe or the next! And once we have it, you and Mitsumi are the only individuals with the genetic capacity to control it."

Takumi grabbed his Burst Heart, searching for a way around the Beheeyem so he could strike. "And what makes you think that I'd help a group of depraved maniacs like Infinicorp?"

"Maniacs?" the CEO repeated with amusement, "That's a peculiar choice of word to describe the company that's brought jobs, revenue and prosperity to Sakhaloh! This city was a mere backwater village before we came here. Soon, it'll be the base that launches Infinicorp's influence worldwide! With the power of a Legendary at my side, how could anyone refuse?!" he bragged without restraint. Takumi remained unimpressed. While Infinicorp had brought wealth to Winterspring, it was built off the backs of Masuku's corruption and insanity.

"But to return to your original claim, Mr. Genji, I have the utmost confidence that you will cooperate with my demands," Wayne continued. "In fact, I've calculated approximately sixteen different ways that I could convince you to help me. I could threaten you, blackmail you, battle you, even brainwash you- but none of the above are necessary."

"You best explain yourself now, before I prove just how strong your precious genetics have made me," Takumi Bursted with his Cinccino, Iron Tail ready to strike. Wayne didn't even flinch. The flash of light reflected off his glasses, and his smile never wavered.

"Truly, I don't need to force you to help in any manner- because I know that you'll come to me of your own accord, in due time," Takumi scoffed at the weak threat.

"Enough games, Masuku. Either battle me or flee, it won't make a difference," the Normal type Burst got in a fighting stance and prepared to charge. Neither Wayne nor his Pokémon reacted accordingly. The young CEO turned his back on the opposing Burst Warrior.

"Very well, I suppose I'll play the coward and flee for now. In the end, how could you resist paying me a visit… If you want to know the information I have on your father."

Takumi took a step forward, then stopped in his tracks.

"…My father?" his heartrate quickened.

"That's correct. I recently stumbled upon some documents that might be of interest to you," Wayne glanced at Mr. Genji from behind his back. "Unfortunately, I've forgotten to bring them with me, so we'll have to meet again so that you can peruse them. Perhaps we can discuss your role in my machinations then."

Takumi swallowed heavily, a chill going down his spine. He knew that it had to be a lie. Masuku was bluffing to get what he wanted. There was no possible way he knew something about Takumi's father that he was unaware of…

"…What documents? What information?" Takumi questioned with increasing intensity. Wayne only laughed and grabbed hold of his Beheeyem.

"If you really want to know, ask Miss Haru. She might be able to provide a hint," the man snapped his fingers, just as Takumi rushed him with Tail Slap. With a wink and a nod, Wayne and his Pokémon blinked out of existence with Teleport.

Takumi was left there, alone in the backlot, stewing on questions he had never once thought to ask.

* * *

 **A** _ **very**_ **long-overdue chapter has finally arrived.**

 **Mitsumi was created on October 26** **th** **, 2012 by PokePlayer member Mewmewmewtwo. I've mentioned before that there were six original members of the forum who rose to prominence. Mewmewmewtwo, or just "Mewtwo," was the fourth of these members, alongside the creators of Kiryu, Takumi and Suki. Actually, you've already seen some of Mewtwo's handiwork in this story, because she would go on to create two more OCs, Tula and Ayame! Chronologically, though, Mitsumi was the first one of these original characters to make an appearance.**

 **Information on Mitsumi's appearance and personality in the RP is hard to come by, mostly because Mewtwo has since deleted her character submission sheet from the forum. Fortunately, Mitsumi's lengthy backstory is retold in the actual roleplay, so I didn't have to take too many creative liberties in the rewrite. While her stint in foster care is nearly the same in the rewrite, Mitsumi's original backstory featured two Legendary Pokemon, making Mitsumi one of the more "special" characters in the overall story. In the RP, Mitsumi had the sass and edge factor to rival Takumi, and the two were similarly forced to live together. The café scene that you've just read was directly lifted from the RP, though I did change the "aggressor" to fit Suki's new personality. Another similarity to the RP was the familial connection between Takumi and Mitsumi, though you'll have to wait and see if their dynamic plays out in exactly the same way...  
**


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